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The Glacier's Gift 



With Fourteen Illustrations 



BY 

EVA C. G. FOLGER 



•^ 



The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Company 

New Haven, Conn. 

1911 






COPYRIGHT, igil 



Eva C. G. Folger 



g)CI.A292951 



DEDICATION 

To the friends whose sympathy and confidence inspired 
my efforts ; to the people of Nantucket, who gave so 
graciously and unsparingly of their store of knowledge ; 
and to James Walter Folger, artist and woodcarver, through 
whose untiring zeal so much heretofore unpublished data 
was secured, this book is lovingly dedicated. 

The illustrations in this work are copyrighted by J. W. 
Folger, and used with his permission. 

E. C. G. F. 



INTRODUCTION 

It has not been my aim to write a history of an island 
and its people of which much has already been told, but 
rather a collection of facts, many of which have never 
before been given to the public, giving in brief some idea of 
the formation of the island itself, and touching lightly on 
the genealogy of those few sturdy men who braved the 
dangers of the sea and contact with savage tribes that they 
might enjoy civil and religious liberty. 

It is also my desire to give to the public a knowledge of 
a few of the really great men and women who claimed this 
isolated spot as their home, some of whom went far beyond 
the confines of their birthplace and made themselves a 
power for good in the great and busy world. 

I have sought to give credit to whom credit is due in 
the matter of quotations and am guiltless of intention to 
plagiarize, although someone has said that all English 
writers are plagiarists of necessity, simply because there is 
but one correct manner of expression ; but laying all argu- 
ments aside, my chief desire is that the book may prove 
readable and entertaining, and above all, authentic in so 
far as possible. 

E. C. G. F. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

As it Was in the Beginning i 

The Earth Receives Her King 8 

The Rise and Fall of Utopia 17 

The Age of the " Inner Light " • 29 

The Hand that Rules the World 39 

Gentlemen of the Old School 54 

The Dark Tenant of the Wild 65 

In the Olden, Golden Time 89 

The Lights Far Out at Sea no 

Here a Little and There a Little 123 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



Facing 
Page 

Ship Citizen Frontispiece 

Landing of White People 8 -" 

Early Tide Mills at Polpis - i6 i-" 

Cloth Weaving- Two Centuries Ago 36 

Hon. Walter Folger 54 

Astronomical Clock 58 "" 

The Roundtop Grist Mill 64 ^^ 

Siasconsett in 179 1 86 '•'^ 

The (4) Original Grist Mills 90 '^ 

Interior of Fulling Mill 96 ' 

Rope Walks, Candle House and Ship Yards 102 •■ 

Brant Point and Entrance to Harbor at Nantucket. , no . 

Sheep Shearing 128 v 

Sesacacha Pond and Village of Quidnet, 1850 138 ■. 



CHAPTER I 

As it W^as in the Beginning 




N Indian legend runs as follows : Once upon a 
time there lived on the Atlantic coast a giant 
who used Cape Cod for his bed. One night, 
being restless, he tossed from side to side till 
his moccasins were filled with sand. This so 
enraged him that on rising in the morning he 
Hung the offending moccasins from his feet, 
one alighting to form Martha's Vineyard, while 
the other became the since famous island of Nantucket. 

So much for the legend. Fact ever remains stranger than 
fiction, and the question arises — What inspired the Indians 
to tell their story in such a manner that in its symbolism it 
should compare so nearly with the scientific discoveries con- 
cerning the formation of this land, which from the begin- 
ning of time was destined to become so great a factor in 
the general economy of nature? Was it a memory carried 
over from some previous incarnation, or was it simply one 
of those peculiar coincidences that gives to the author the 
reputation of soothsayer and seer? This question may be 
answered by the individual, according to the construction he 
may see fit to place upon it. But outrivaling the most 
glowing imagery, and standing parallel with the sacred 
tradition of the creation, is the story of the Glacier's Gift. 

"And darkness was upon the face of the deep." So 
sayeth the Holy Writ. From zone to zone stretched one 
vast sheet of water. Over this great sea for ages hung a 
pall of fog and clouds, through which not the tiniest ray 
of sunlight had ever pierced, till one day Divine Purpose 
decreed that this ball, which had from the beginning been 
without form and void, must now take its place among the 



2 The Glacier's Gift 

planets to which it belonged. Changes in nature cannot 
come suddenly without destruction ; no cataclysmic shifting 
of the scenes is possible without utter annihilation, for thus 
sayeth the Scriptures, "One day is with the Lord as a thou- 
sand years." 

So gradually from the waters arose the fronds of ferns 
and palms. The age of the conifers was at hand. A tropic 
heat pervaded the globe from Arctic Circle to the Equator. 
With the advent of this age of verdure came the divine 
idea of life. 

The plants inhaled the elements of the air, and combining 
them with the chemical processes employed in the creation 
of plant life, in turn exhaled this amalgam, absorbing the 
dampness and moisture, throwing off into the atmosphere 
a rarefied product. As a result, the clouds that for ages 
had hung like a pall over the sea, now slowly rolled away 
and for the first time since this atom known as the earth 
began turning on its individual axis, the king of day smiled 
down upon a forest of unrivaled beauty. 

Now the "waters were gathered together in one place," 
and dry land appeared. In time grass grew, fruit trees 
put forth their branches, while from the grave of the 
fronded forest arose a hardier vegetation, establishing from 
that time forth the law of the "survival of the fittest." 

Living creatures now came to disport themselves on this 
land, where all was good and beautiful. The mastodon 
roved in freedom from the Equator to the Arctic Circle; 
birds of the air, perching in the trees, chanted forth their 
carols with a joy unalloyed. From zone to zone one vast 
garden existed, filled with every living thing, over which 
man was created to rule and hold dominion. 

Stagnation means death; and as this world was not 
created in vain, but for the fulfillment of a divine decree, 
changes were constantly manifesting themselves. Each age 
or period was to experience a phenomenon distinctly its 



As it JVas in the Beginning 3 

own, the causes of which will remain a mystery till the 
scroll that separates mortals from the All-Wise shall roll 
up and reveal the secrets of the ages. 

Another period is now at hand. The seaons came in turn 
and the sun, which had cast its beams on all things with 
the same degree of heat, by a slight tilting of the earth 
from its regular orbit could only send its vertical rays and 
heat toward the direct center. Spring, summer, autumn 
and winter were now parts of the physical phenomena of the 
earth. Severe and more severe became the winter season ; 
ice and snow accumulated which the rays of the summer 
sun could not melt. The time had come for the advent of 
the giant Ice-king. For untold ages the ceaseless tides 
of old ocean's gray and melancholy waste had washed the 
Atlantic's rock-ribbed shore, lashing it in fury as the winter 
winds swept unresistingly inland, and wooing with gentle 
caresses when the balmy breezes of summer played lovingly 
on the crests of the waves. 

One day the Power who holds the waters in the hollow 
of His hand, looked upon His creation and saw that it was 
not good: another element was needed to complete the 
structure of the mighty universe. The winds blew cold and 
chill across the now frozen northland; the Arctic night 
settled down with a pall of ice and snow. The giant had 
come into his own. Day followed day and night succeeded 
night, with no cessation of the biting cold; the snowwhite 
hares, the hairless buffaloes that had been wont to rove 
over the summer plains, the white owls and other birds of 
the now frigid zone, driven and buffeted by the relentless 
blasts, were overtaken and severely castigated by the cohorts 
of the mighty giant, who with seemingly implacable wrath 
sought to destroy all living things. 

At last, weary and hungered, completely spent in the 
unequal battle, animals and birds huddling together for 
warmth and protection, slowly sank into the dreamless sleep 



4 The Glacier's Gift 

of death ; the trumpet of Arctic playing their requiem, their 
tombs of crystal outrivaling in magnificence the glittering 
walls of the Taj Mahal. 

And now the giant reigns supreme in this land of death 
and desolation. How he gloats over his triumph ! For 
countless ages he retains undisputed sway in this, his chosen 
realm. He shrieks with demoniac glee as at his bidding 
there arise mountain upon mountain, rampart upon ram- 
part and castle upon castle of dazzling white. 

But what is this change that is coming? It is a sinister 
influence that is at work in this frozen domain of the 
giant-king. In terror he discovers that some power mightier 
than he is theatening to destroy the kingdom of which he 
is so proud. A warm wind from the southland touches 
but lightly the icy ramparts, yet 'tis enough ! — the castle 
walls tremble, while angered and terrified the giant cries 
aloud, entreating and commanding his cohorts to preserve 
his habitation. 'Tis too late, for slowly the realm of ice 
begins to move and, grinding, trembling to its very founda- 
tion, starts out on its course, carrying everything before it. 
Day after day, year after year, and age after age the 
monster moves onward, impelled ever by the breath of its 
archenemy, the south-wind. At last, at the bidding of the 
guiding Power, the giant is halted in his onward march, and 
resting in the embrace of the Gulf Stream, is overcome and 
sinks slowly down into a watery grave. 

Centuries now pass, but one day the "Spirit of God 
moves upon the face of the waters." Out of the depths 
emerges dry land, a fitting monument to that doughty 
monarch who resisted so valiantly the efforts to deprive 
him of his cherished kingdom. 

God looked upon this late creation and found that still 
it was not good; other elements were needed to perfect 
and make it ready for its predestined purpose. Tidal waves 
carried their freight of marine life, depositing it upon the 



As it IV as in the Beginning 5 

land, building- layer upon layer of a foundation to a struc- 
ture which, when accepted by the Master Builder, should 
prove a sanctuary to an exiled humanity. 

But the time was not yet. Ages were still to pass, while 
Nature added her quota to the soil. Wintry winds hurled 
the crested waves in angry war against the foundation, as 
though seeking to destroy it, thus avenging the death of 
the monarch who had been forced to abdicate his throne. 
But the Power which had guided the atom to this safe 
haven tempered the shock of the onslaught, bringing in its 
turn the soothing touch of summer breezes. 

Another change now comes over the face of nature. 
The giant-king of the icy realms arises and, in his reincar- 
nation, finds himself once more on his frozen throne, 
wielding his scepter in Boreas' domain. At his command 
the mighty blasts hurl themselves through the mist-laden 
air and the Frost-king dominates the frozen zone. 

Ages pass, history repeats itself, and once more that 
subtle enemy of the snow- and ice-fields, the warm breeze 
from the south, breathes once more on the crystal palace, 
urging it from its foundation, directing it once again toward 
the open sea. Straining, creaking bergs move out, gather- 
ing through countless years rich material which is to find 
anchor upon that spot, chosen by the Maker of land 
and sea. On, on they move in majestic dignity, until once 
again in the embrace of the Gulf Stream his appointed 
task finished, the giant expires, to return to life no more. 
Before the Creator's eyes lies the beginning of the Utopia 
that is to be. 

In preparation for man, who is to find refuge here, the 
waves of the sea are mighty factors, casting up seeds 
carried, perhaps, untold distances, to take root in this new 
land, as yet destitute of verdure. 

Feathery seeds, borne on ocean breezes from other 
lands, descend here to find both sepulcher and rebirth. Pine 



6 The Glaciers Gift 

cones and acorns, floating in on the tide, burrow into the 
sand and lie dormant until, under the caressing- rays of the 
summer sun, they send out shoots which in time to come 
will furnish both shelter and fuel to the generations of 
mankind that shall follow after. 

Seedtime and harvest succeed each other in turn — the 
planter, the ocean breezes ; the reaper, frosts of autumn and 
snows of winter. Sea-fowls, driven before the trumpeting 
blasts of icy winds, find refuge and surcease from an 
unequal struggle. Gulls, feasting on the victims of restless 
waves, fill the dreary waste with their raucous cries, thus 
giving thanks for so stable a resting-place ; birds of passage, 
wearying in their long flight across the waters, alight and 
leave their contribution in paym.ent for the kindly hospi- 
tality proffered by this seagirt atom. Fertility, further 
aided by the decay of rock and debris cast up from the sea, 
at last transforms this once desolate island into a veritable 
garden. Trees, grass, flowers spring up and the "desert 
blossoms as the rose." 

In this retreat no human foot has trod, no voice has 
yet been lifted up in prayer or praise ; the only music, the 
songs of birds, or the mighty symphony of old ocean, as 
its moaning surf is flung against the shore. No beacon 
light has shed its rays across the waters, to warn venture- 
some mariners of the treacherous shoals that lie a menace 
in the sea. And thus it was that the island of Nantucket 
came into existence. 

This book is not by any means a geological treatise, but 
the discoveries concerning the formation of this land must 
be lightly touched upon. It is an undisputed fact that Nan- 
tucket Island is one of the most perfect examples of a 
terminal moraine in existence and at the present time marks 
the terminus of the ice-sheet in North America, although it 
is possible that the ice extended farther out to sea. It 
it now believed that the portion of ice that formed the island 



As it IV as in the Beginning 7 

came from Newfoundland, and while it is distinguished by 
the name of lobe, is thought to have assumed proportions 
sufficient to have almost formed a distinct ice-sheet. As 
the moraine seems to rest upon older land, it may be 
assumed that this foundation was produced by an earlier 
descent of ice occupying the same territory. From examin- 
ation of the oldest beds in the formation of the island, it 
is thought that they date back no further than the Cretacic, 
to which age some of the underlying clays are thought to 
belong. Of this, however, there is no positive proof, but 
laying aside all argument as to the age to which it belongs, 
scientists are agreed in the verdict that Nantucket is truly 
the result of the continental ice-sheets. No other spot in 
North America offers so great an inducement to geologists 
as this land lying in the sea. There is not a square inch of 
its undulating moorland but affords most striking examples 
of glacial deposit, erosion and drift. The topography of 
the island is diversified by kame-hills, with their accompany- 
ing kettle-holes which now go to the formation of most 
attractive fresh-water ponds ; the contact slope of Tom 
Never's Head and the apron plain of Miacomet, each in 
itself presenting an aspect dear to the heart of every enthu- 
siastic scientist. 




CHAPTER II 

The Earth Receives Her King 

OW many ages passed before this late creation 
was discovered by man tradition sayeth not, 
but in all probability it was seen many times 
by adventurous mariners before any record 
was made. 

Going back to Norse history, we find that 
during the reign of Earl Haakon, Erik the Red, 
having killed a man, was forced to leave Nor- 
way, going to Iceland, where he committed another murder. 
For this he was banished, and having by some means heard 
of the great country to the westward which had been dis- 
covered by a sailor driven thence by a storm, he hastily got 
a crew together and started on a voyage of discovery, 
coming to the land in 984. This was afterward named 
Greenland. 

Erik returned to Iceland, secured a party of colonists and 
making the second voyage, established a number of settle- 
ments to which his son, Leif Erikson, in 999, with a com- 
pany of priests and teachers, journeyed and preached 
Christianity to the people and by these means established 
monasteries, schools and churches, which were maintained 
by prosperous colonists until late in the fourteenth century. 
Again the stormy seas were active agents in the discovery 
of new lands. One Biarne Heriulfson, sailing westward 
from Iceland, encountered rough weather. Losing his 
bearings, he touched upon strange shores which he knew 
could not be Greenland, but without investigating further 
he turned from his course and came at last to Greenland. 
He was soundly ridiculed upon his return for not having 
explored these new lands. 



The Earth Receives Her King 9 

Venturesome Leif Erikson obtained possession of Biarne's 
ship and in the year 1000 set sail with a crew of thirty-five 
men, to see what he could find of these much-talked-of 
lands. This voyage resulted in the discovery of Newfound- 
land and Nova Scotia. 

Leaving these new discoveries, Leif and his crew set 
sail again and in two days' time landed on an island on the 
north side of the mainland. Here the party found a very 
pleasant country, and loading their vessel with timber and 
grapes, which they found in abundance, they sailed back 
to Greenland, after having named this country Mnland. 

Again, in 1002, Leif Erikson's brother, Thorvald, sailed 
toward the south with a band of thirty men. They came to 
Vinland and remained there during the winter, putting in 
their time fishing. When spring came the party was sent 
out in a long boat to a country at the south, which they 
found to be heavily wooded and beautiful in the extreme. 
There were many islands and shallow water just off this land. 
The party returned to Vinland, where they again spent the 
winter, but in the spring Thorvald sailed to the eastward 
and cruised northward along the land. A storm arising, 
the vessel was driven to the shore of the Cape, where the 
keel being broken, they were forced to make an extended 
stay in order to put the vessel into commission again. "We 
will stick up the keel here upon the ness, and call the place 
Keel-ness," said Thorvald. This country is assumed to 
have been the Cape Cod of to-day. 

In 1005, Thorstein, another brother of Leif Erikson, 
made explorations on the coast, and lastly, in 1007, a dis- 
tinguished navigator, Thorfin Karlsefne, with a crew of one 
hundred and fifty men, explored the New England coast, 
going as far south as Virginia. As late as 1347 Norwegian 
sailors are said to have visited Labrador and other parts 
of the New England coast. While historians of Iceland 
give accounts of explorations of their hardy countrymen, 



lo The Glacier's Gift 

and as told, at the mention of America the school children 
of Iceland will speak with much enthusiasm, saying that 
"Leif Erikson discovered that country in looi," still noth- 
ing definite is known of their real discoveries. A manu- 
script, known as the Flate-yar Bok, was written in the 
fourteenth century, recording accounts of the Vinland 
explorations. This book is said to be written on parchment, 
and is considered the most beautiful piece of penmanship of 
that age and was the work of two priests. 

It is known that Columbus visited Iceland in 1497, for 
the purpose of obtaining information concerning nautical 
matters, and it seems strange, indeed, that he should not 
have learned something of the discoveries entered in this 
Flate-yar Bok. While in all probabiHty Nantucket is one 
of the islands mentioned in these records, yet of this there 
is no proof ; and although these hardy and venturesome 
mariners were much given to sailing unknown seas and 
exploring new lands, the world is little, if any, better off 
for their undertakings. 

The first record we have of English explorers is that of 
the Cabots. In May, 1496, Giovanni Caboto, or as he is 
better known, John Cabot, a Venetian mariner, was com- 
missioned by King Henry to make explorations in the 
Atlantic Ocean and to carry the English flag to whatever 
lands he might thus discover. With five well-fitted ships he 
left Bristol in April, 1497, and on June 24 Labrador was 
reached. Ridpath avers that "this was the real discovery 
of the American continent." Cabot found no inhabitants, 
but planted the English flag, thus claiming the land as an 
English possession. 

In 1498, Sebastian, a son of John Cabot, who had accom- 
panied his father on the first voyage, now took the oppor- 
tunity offered and with his father's fleet set forth on a 
personally conducted voyage of discovery, the much sought- 
for northwest passage to the Indies being the objective 



The Earth Receives Her King ii 

point. Touching- near the former discoveries, the fleet 
cruised down the Atlantic seaboard, sighting the New 
England coast for the first time since the Norse explora- 
tions. It is probable that Nantucket was one of the islands 
seen, but still the time had not come for this particular spot 
to attract special notice. 

In 1524, John Verrazani, a Florentine navigator, set out 
with a view to discovering a northwest passage to Asia. 
He first sighted land near Wilmington, North Carolina ; 
turning north he touched Cape Fear, and continuing on his 
way, he explored the coast of New England with great 
care. Why he did not make the acquaintance of our island 
and get the credit for its discovery is one of the mysteries 
which will never be made clear. 

In 1602 the English flag was brought to the American 
shores. This time the honor is due Bartholomew Gosnold. 
The only known route from Europe to the New World was 
a roundabout way. Ships often headed for the eastern 
coast of America first sailed to the Canary Islands, thence 
to the West Indies, at last turning north to gain their 
destination. Gosnold conceived the idea that this course 
was unnecessary and fitting out a single vessel, the Dolphin, 
proceeded directly across the ocean, reaching the coast of 
Maine in seven weeks, making a gain of at least 2,000 
miles. He explored to the southward, landing at Cape Cod, 
thus making the first landing of the English in New Eng- 
land. Passing around Cape Malabar, the vessel left Nan- 
tucket on the right and turned into Buzzards Bay, selecting 
the most westerly of the Elizabeth Islands, on which the 
first English settlement was established. 

The reader may consider the foregoing a digression and 
possibly irrelevant to the subject in hand, but the early 
explorations and discoveries should never fail to interest 
the student of American history. It is not my purpose, 
however, to repeat these already well-known facts, only 



12 The Glacier's Gift 

insomuch as is necessary to call the reader's attention to 
the numberless times the island of Nantucket might have 
been discovered and colonized, thereby gaining the honor 
of having been the first settlement in North America. 

But the Guiding Hand which saw fit to place this land 
in such a location that it might be the guardian at the 
gateway of New England coast traffic, foreordained that its 
discovery should be left to the Anglo-Saxon, that indom- 
itable race which can never be superseded and through 
whose virility and progressiveness all things are possible. 
The real history of the island begins in 1659, when it was 
settled by the ancestors and founders of many prominent 
families, whose representatives are to be found throughout 
the entire world at the present time. 

History tells of the transaction between the Plymouth 
Company and William, Earl of Sterling, whereby "Pema- 
quid, and its dependencies on the coast of Maine," also 
Long Island and adjoining islands, became the property of 
said Earl of Sterling in the year 1635. Two years later, 
James Forrett became the agent of the earl and was com- 
missioned to sell or settle all islands between the Cape and 
the Hudson River. Accordingly, in 1641, Thomas Mayhew 
and his son Thomas purchased the island of Nantucket from 
James Forrett for "such annual acknowledgment as shall 
be thought fit by John Winthrop, the elder esquire, or any 
two magistrates of Massachusetts Bay" ; and as Sir Fer- 
nando Gorges also claimed the title to the island, the 
elder Mayhew obtained another conveyance of Nantucket 
and other islands from Richard Vines, who was Gorges' 
agent. 

Thomas Mayhew sold the rights he had acquired from 
Sterling and Gorges in 1659 to nine others ; namely, Tris- 
tram Coffin, Thomas Macy, Christopher Hussey, Richard 
Swain, Thomas Barnard, Peter Coffin, Stephen Greenleaf, 
John Swain and William Pyle, for the sum of thirty 



The Earth Receives Her King 13 

pounds and two beaver hats, "one for myself and one for 
my wife." Mayhew reserved a one-twentieth share of the 
island and was to share in the profits and losses of the 
enterprise. Each of the purchasers was allowed to choose 
an associate, and in this manner John Smith, Nathaniel 
Starbuck, Robert Pike, Thomas Look, Robert Barnard, 
James Coffin, Tristram Coffin, Jr., Thomas Coleman and 
Edward Starbuck became purchasers, who bought of the 
Indian sachems the right to the island in 1660. 

As to the settlement of the island, there have been various 
versions, the most entertaining one being told in Whittier's 
legendary poem, "The Exiles," which portrays most vivdly 
Macy's escape from the sherifif and priest after having been 
detected in the act of harboring a Quaker, an act con- 
sidered a crime in those days of religious bigotry. The poet 
tells the story of the exiles landing on Nantucket in the 
following words : 

"Far around the bleak and stormy Cape, 

The ven'trous Macy past. 
And on Nantucket's naked isle. 

Drew up his boat at last, 
And how in log built cabin, 

They braved the rough sea weather, 
And there in peace and quietness, 

Went down life's vale together." 

All will agree that the legend is a pretty one and romantic 
enough to please the most fastidious, but it is a version 
of the settlement of Nantucket which is refuted by all 
reputable historians. 

A more accurate statement of the case is given in a part 
of the Macy genealogy. Thomas Macy, a native of Salis- 
bury, in Wiltshire, England, came to America about the 
year 1639 and became one of the original settlers of Salis- 
bury, Massachusetts. He seems to have been a prominent 
man, being a planter, merchant and Baptist minister. 



14 The Glacier's Gift 

The Massachusetts laws enacted in 1656 and 1657, 
restricted the freedom of worship and prohibited the enter- 
taining of Quakers. Thomas Macy was fined thirty shillings 
for violating this law, having sheltered Edward Wharton, 
William Robinson of London, and Marmaduke Stephenson 
of Yorkshire, England. The two last named were after- 
ward hanged on the Boston Common, for having had the 
temerity to return to Massachusetts, after having been 
banished on the charge of being Quakers. 

Not being satisfied with his paying a fine and apologizing 
to the court for his defection, the magistrates ordered that 
he be admonished by the government. This action, com- 
bined with the arrant bigotry and religious persecution 
which exiled Ann Hutchinson and Harry Vane, and drove 
Roger Williams to a life with savage tribes, which was to 
be preferred to one in Massachusetts, and tiring of the 
eternal vigilance exercised by the magistrates, Macy, taking 
his wife and children, in company with Isaac Coleman and 
Edward Starbuck, embarked in a small boat at Salisbury 
and, with the really necessary household effects, set sail 
for Nantucket, where they built a hut and spent the winter 
of 1658 and 1659. 

This was the beginning of the town of Sherburne, which 
was situated southeast from Capaum Pond, the generally 
accepted version of the settlement at Madaket to the con- 
trary notwithstanding. Macy, in his history of Nantucket, 
states that the first settlement was made on the southeast 
side of Madaket Harbor, but later investigations have 
proven that Tristam Coffin had his house lot laid out near 
Wannacomet Pond, and near this was the site of Thomas 
Macy's first abode. There are still to be found many evi- 
dences of human habitations, such as indentations supposed 
to be filled cellars, etc., thus entirely exploding the theory 
that Madaket was ever a town. 



The Earth Receives Her King 15 

During' tlie winter Macy consulted with the Indians, who 
then inhabited the island, on the question of rights and 
privileges to be accorded the purchasers whom he repre- 
sented. That Macy was more than a voluntary exile is 
refuted simply owing to the fact that he returned to Salis- 
bury in 1664, where he still retained property. It may be 
safe to say that although, as has already been stated, a 
desire to escape religious persecution may have been one 
cause of his leaving Salisbury, yet behind all, there was 
probably a greater desire to better his financial standing", 
and the spirit of commercialism was a greater factor than 
the much exploited craving for religious liberty. 

Although the Mayhews made their purchase in 1641, yet 
nothing of historical value seems to have occurred for a 
long stretch of years extending from this date to 1659, up 
to which time the greater part of the island was owned 
solely by the Mayhews ; and although the conveyance to the 
nine purchasers occurred July 2, 1659, it appears that 
possession was not taken till 1661. From time to time 
sachems' rights were secured, until the entire island of 
Nantucket passed into the hands of the white man. After 
Mayhew's purchase, a discussion arose over the state owner- 
ship of the island, Sir Fernando Gorges, governor of Maine, 
claiming it for his state. In 1664 the Duke of York was 
granted a certain amount of territory in America, of which 
Nantucket was a part. Francis Lovelace was appointed 
governor of New York and its dependencies, and in 1671 
gave the settlers a patent which confirmed the deed of 
Forrett, the consideration paid for the patent being "four 
barrels of merchantable cod-fish to be delivered to New 
York annually." 

There was two conditions attached to this patent; first, 
that certain lands should be purchased from the Indians 
and that these purchases would be confirmed and ratified 
by the Crown of England. 



1 6 The Glacier's Gift 

A still later patent, known as the Dongan patent, was 
found necessary "owing to the capture of New York by 
the Dutch in 1684 and its subsequent reversion to the 
English." This last instrument bore the date of June 
2y, 1687, and "is the basis of all titles of Nantucket." By 
an act of Parliament in 1692 the island was transferred to 
the Massachusetts Province. The town which had been 
situated at or near Capaum Pond and bore the name of 
Sherburne, was moved to Wesco, its present site, in 1673. 
The name was changed to Nantucket in 1695. There has 
been much discussion over the origin of the word Nan- 
tucket. It has been spelled in various ways, Nanticon, 
Natocke and Natocket being the more familiar. Some 
writers have tried to prove a Norse origin, while others 
believe it to be of Algonquin derivation ; another and most 
plausible derivation is mentioned by Worth in his "Indian 
Names," preference being given to the word Natocket, an 
Indian name meaning "the land far off at sea." Whatever 
the origin may have been, it was first known by its present 
name of Nantucket in the deed granted to Mayhew by 
Forrett in 1641. Etymologists have not been alone in 
having their fling, for a punster and wit in one of the most 
amusing limericks, tells the public that, 

"There was an old man in Pawtucket, 
Who kept his cash in a bucket: 

His daughter named Nan, 

Ran away with a man, 
And as for the bucket — Nantucket." 




CHAPTER III 

The Rise and Fall of Utopia 

N the previous chapter mere mention was made 
of the nine original purchasers of the island ; 
and although it would be impossible to give in 
full the lives of the entire list of really impor- 
tant personages without entering deeply into 
genealogy which is not interesting to other than 
those personally concerned, still it is only just 
that those to whose credit the largest number 
of descendants is due should receive passing notice at least. 
As the necessity of intermarriages between cousins in those 
early days has made all the island world akin, one man's 
biography might almost serve to meet the requirements 
of one common ancestry. A story proving the relationship 
existing among the island families is that told in a Nan- 
tucket woman's reply to a stranger. The latter in telling 
of the meeting of someone in Nantucket said : "By the 
way, I believe she is a cousin of yours." "No doubt," 
replied the Nantucketer; "I have five thousand cousins 
here." As that was about the total number of inhabitants 
on the island at that time it shows conclusively how careful 
a stranger should be of passing adverse criticism on one 
native in the hearing of another. 

As much has already been said of Thomas Macy in 
regard to the early settling of the island, his name will not 
here receive further notice other than he was ever prominent 
in the affairs of the island, being the first recorder there 
and afterwards appointed chief magistrate. He was a 
friend of the Indians and was vigorously opposed to selling 
them liquor, realizing that of all bad Indians a drunken one 
is the worst. Macy's death occurred in Nantucket April 
19, 1682, in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and though 



I S The Glacier's Gift 

he left but one son, John, who married Deborah Gardner 
and died at the early age of thirty-six, the numerous Macys 
of to-day trace their origin to this source. 

Anything written of Nantucket would indeed be incom- 
plete if the name of Starbuck were omitted. The founder 
of that family, Edward Starbuck, came to Dover, New 
Hampshire, from Derbyshire, England, in 1635. He was 
a man of means and prominence in Dover, but having 
offended against the laws by embracing the Baptist faith 
and learning that proceedings were to be instituted against 
him, he left that place and falling in with Macy, who was 
about to embark for Nantucket, joined in the enterprise. 
It was said that "Dover lost a good citizen and Nantucket 
gained a much respected one." He was a magistrate and 
one of the leading men of this island colony. His son, 
Nathaniel, married Mary Coffin, and they were ever prom- 
inent in all the affairs of state, becoming enthusiastic 
Quakers and leading spirits in the religious life of that day. 
This family is also numerous and to be found in all parts 
of the world. The name is said to be of Norse origin, sig- 
nifying "great," "grand." 

To the name of Coffin belongs the distinction of the most 
lengthy genealogy of any family of the island. As much 
has been written by others concerning it, very brief mention 
will be made here. Tristram Coffin, one of the original nine 
purchasers of the island of Nantucket, was born in Brixton, 
Devonshire, England, in 1605. He married Dionis Stevens 
and with his family came to America, settling first at New- 
bury, later going to Haverhill, thence to Salisbury, where 
he resided till 1660 or 1661, when he removed to Nantucket, 
building a mansion which he occupied the remainder of 
his life. As the Coffins were often associated with royalty 
in English history, so here Tristram became a favorite with 
those in authority, being appointed chief magistrate by 
Governors Lovelace and Andros. The famous contest 



/ 



The Rise and Fall of Utopia 19 

which took place between Coffin and Gardner forms an 
interesting addition to this chapter. Harriet Worren, in her 
book, "Triistum and His Grand-Children," gives some idea 
of the multiplication of this family in America. Tristram 
Coffin died October 2, 1681, aged seventy-six years. 

Another purchaser of English birth was Christopher 
Hussey. When quite a young man he went to Holland, 
where he fell in love with the daughter of Stephen Bachelor. 
Hussey was allowed to marry her on the condition that 
he with his bride would accompany the reverend father-in- 
law to America. Accordingly they embarked, arriving in 
Boston in 1632, where they remained until Christopher 
became one of the original purchasers of Nantucket in 1659. 
He was a sea captain and one of the few who doesn't seem 
to have been the recipient of political pie. One version of 
his death is that he was shipwrecked and eaten by cannibals, 
but as the Christopher of whom this is true was of a much 
later generation, we can conclude that this was simply a 
case of mistaken identity, as the subject of this sketch 
died in Hampton, New Hampshire, March 6, 1686. 

Although not one of the original purchasers, the name of 
John Gardner must ever be given more than passing notice 
in any work relating to Nantucket. He was a seaman and 
resided in Salem for many years. His coming to the island 
was in accordance with the desire of the colonists, who 
granted him one-half a share of land, providing he remained 
at least three years, his occupation to be the ''taking of 
codfish and establishing a trade in that commodity." Gard- 
ner was not a man of education, but he was possessed of 
such personal courage and executive ability that he was 
soon recognized as a leader. He resided on the island for 
thirty years and held office almost continuously during that 
time. He was appointed chief magistrate three times, was 
deputy to New York, where he was sent by the desire of 
the people, was treasurer and selectman, filling each of 



2 The Glacier's Gift 

these offices with much dignity and honor. He is said to 
have been opposed to the Quakers and objected to their set- 
thng on the island, but aside from Peter Folger, the Indians 
had no better friend and protector than John Gardner. In 
1699 he became judge of probate, holding that office until his 
death, which occurred in 1706. His grave is to be found 
in the ancient burying ground and is marked by a granite 
slab, which tells to the world that "Here Lies ye Body of 
John Gardner, Esq., Aged 82, Who Died Alay 1706." 

Another early settler, who was the original of numerous 
progeny, was Peter Folger. He was born in Norwich, Eng- 
land, about the year 1617. His parents were John and 
IVIeribah Gibbs Folger, and with them he came to America 
in 1635. They were passengers on the same ship which 
brought Rev. Hugh Peters, the regicide, to the New World. 
With the Peters family came a maid, Mary IMorrell, with 
whom Peter Folger fell in love and, as is told elsewhere, 
he purchased her time of her master, and upon arrival in 
America made her his wife. They first settled in Water- 
town, but in 1660 they removed to Martha's Vineyard, 
where Peter taught school and acted as surveyor for the 
Mayhews. He learned the Indian language and was inter- 
preter for them. He evidently was extraordinarily devout, 
as it has been said of him that he greatly assisted Thomas 
Mayhew, Jr., ''in instructing the youth in reading and 
writing, and the principles of religion, by catechizing, being 
well versed therein." When Mayhew went to England, he 
left Peter in charge of his mission at the Vineyard. John 
Folger died at Martha's Vineyard in 1661 or 1662. 

In 1660 or 1661 the owners of Nantucket met at Salisbury 
and appointed Tristram Coffin, Thomas Macy, Edward Star- 
buck, Thomas Barnard, and Peter Folger of Martha's 
Vineyard, to "measure and lay out the land, and whatso- 
ever shall be determined by them, or any three of them, 
Peter Folger being one, shall be accounted legal and valid." 



Tlic Rise and Fall of Utopia 21 

There have been many discussions arising from the asser- 
tion often made that Peter Folger was the only educated 
man among the early settlers. However overdrawn the 
statement may be, yet the fact remains that he was an 
all-around man, showing an ability to fit in all places where 
assistance was needed. He was a tradesman, interpreter, 
miller, blacksmith, shoemaker, preacher and schoolmaster. 
He had a house lot, laid out by Tristram Coffin and Thomas 
Macy, at a place called Rogers Field, and in 1663 was given 
a deed to one-half share of land (that is, half as much as 
any of the twenty purchasers possessed), on condition 
that within a year he and his family of eight children should 
move to Nantucket, where he was to act as interpreter of 
the Indian language whenever it should be necessary. In 
1673 he became clerk of the writs and records to the court. 
Tradition has it that Folger was a Baptist preacher and that 
he baptized Mary Starbuck, daughter of Tristram Coffin, 
in a pond, as they later said, "through blind zeal." He 
was something of a writer, being given to the writing of 
both poetry (?) and prose. One of his publications, "The 
Looking Glass for the Times," came out in 1675 or 1676. 
He died about the year 1690, being survived by his widow 
until 1704. She was an exceedingly fleshy woman and car- 
ried her own chair with her when she went to visit the 
neighbors. That Folger was, to say the least, one of the 
great men of his time, is putting it lightly indeed. At any 
rate, many of the brightest minds the world has ever 
produced can trace their descent back to this sturdy colo- 
nist. In the list are to be found the names of Benjamin 
Franklin, Lucretia Mott, Honorable Walter Folger, Charles 
J. Folger and Maria Mitchell. 

Owing to the fact that some of the purchasers never 
came to the island to live, the foregoing names must suffice 
to give the reader some idea of the character of these sturdy 
settlers. As a general summing-up of the qualities of the 



2 2 The Glacier's Gift 

different families that sprang from these early colonists, 
the verses ascribed by Godfrey to one Phineas Fanning, 
who married Keziah Coffin, daughter of the famous Miriam, 
of whom further mention will be made, seem to find a place 
here, and without which this chapter would be incomplete. 

"The Rays and Russels coopers are, 
The knowing Folgers lazy, 
A learned Coleman very rare, 
And scarce an honest Hussey. 

The Coffins noisy, boisterous, loud, 

The silent Gardners plotting, 
The Mitchells good, the Barkers proud. 

The Macys eat the pudding. 

The Swains are swinish, clownish called. 

The Barnards very civil, 
The Starbucks, they are loud to bawl, 

The Pinkhams beat the devil." 

For a few short years the spirit of Utopia pervaded the 
island. In the beginning the land was held in common, 
being divided into twenty-seven parts, or shares. Each 
share was entitled to a certain portion of the land, to be 
used as the owner saw fit. Each share was subdivided into 
lesser parts, called "Cows' Commons," which gave the 
proprietor privilege to turn out as "many cows or other 
cattle, as he owns, of such parts in Common, or other 
stock in proportion of one horse or sixteen sheep to two 
Cows Commons, which stock fed on any part of the land 
that is not converted into a field. All the cows fed together 
in one herd, to the amount of about five hundred. All the 
sheep fed in one pasture, and each man knew his own by 
marks made in the ears, by cutting them in different forms. 
Every other year, twenty-five acres of corn were planted to 
the share, making a total of 675 acres for the twenty-seven 



The Rise and Fall of Utopia 23 

shares, all being in one field and producing 8,100 bushels. 
The alternating year the same field was sown with oats 
and rye, which produced nearly 9,000 bushels." That these 
ideal conditions might not have continued is much to be 
regretted, but even as the serpent entered Eden, so the 
spirit of envy and jealousy entered this little commune lying 
so far out at sea. 

The history of society is the same the world over ; even 
among the most ardent adherents to Socialism the clashing 
of strong wills, aggressive tendencies on the part of the 
leaders and the desire of the few to rule the many have 
been the causes of the breaking up of the most ideal com- 
munities. The same conditions prevailing in other parts of 
New England resulted in the separation of the tradesmen 
and cavaliers at an early date in American history. Had 
not the country been so wide, the war which occurred 
between the North and South might have been precipitated 
a full century before it finally did rend the nation to its 
center. The tradesman naturally had an eye to the com- 
mercial benefits to be derived from the easy access to 
brooks and ponds, while the more aristocratic cavalier 
sought the easier life of the landed proprietor. As there 
was little or no profit attached to the slave traffic, which 
made its appearance in American markets, owing to the 
rigors of New England climate and the dearth of occupa- 
tion in consequence of its sterile soil, it was but natural 
that this particular form of commercialism should be 
allowed to pass into the hands of the more aristocratic 
cavalier, who had migrated to the southland and there 
enjoyed life to the full, surrounded by his vassals, riding to 
the hounds, neither toiling or spinning. Had not the world 
been wide, it is easy to surmise what the result would have 
been had these two classes been forced to occupy a small 
space. The tradesman would never have consented to the 
rule of the more aristocratic cavalier, while at the same time 



24 The Glacier's Gift 

the latter could never have admitted the control of his more 
democratic contemporary. It is not difificult, then, to under- 
stand why such men as Tristram Coffin and John Gardner 
should become opponents, one striving to supersede the 
other in authority in the island community. Both were men 
of great executive ability, yet they were of entirely different 
temperaments, and this was perhaps the primary cause for 
what is known as the "Nantucket Insurrection." Tristram 
Coffin, having been one of the first settlers and being a 
"born" leader, naturally took the initiative in matters of 
authority ; and while the people submitted to this, still 
Coffin was not exceedingly popular, owing to his desire to 
rule and his overbearing manner to those whom he con- 
sidered his inferiors in breeding and birth. He was an 
aristocrat in the strongest sense of the word, having 
descended from a family whose connection with the nobility 
of the Old World is well known by those interested in the 
genealogy of the Coffin family. After having held a most 
prominent place in the island affairs for at least ten years, 
it was not easy for Tristram Coffin to allow the reins of 
government to pass from him into the hands of a later set- 
tler, and one whom a Coffin would consider a social inferior, 
to say the least. While it cannot be said that John Gardner, 
who now threatened to supersede the Coffin supremacy, w^as 
an educated man, yet he was very popular with the people as 
a whole, although because of the intermarriages between 
Tristram's children and other island families, it is clear to 
the most casual observer that there must of necessity have 
been two factions in this highly interesting contest. In the 
life of Peter Folger the reader was made acquainted with 
all points of importance concerning the former settling 
in Nantucket and his influence with the Indians. Both he 
and John Gardner were very popular men, and it appears 
that they agreed on the main points of government, etc.. 
which would tend to the good of the people. It must have 



The Rise and Fall of Utopia 25 

been trying to Cofifin to realize the growing popularity of 
his opponent, and one can well imagine his chagrin when 
the "town granted Captain Gardner twenty acres," extend- 
ing from his house to the cliff, and widened the road from 
his warehouse to the landing. In accordance with the laws 
of the island at that time, the people were to elect two 
men, one of whom should, with the sanction of the gover- 
nor of New York, become chief magistrate. In the spring 
election of 1673 Richard Gardner and Edward Starbuck 
were elected, the former being selected by the governor to 
fill the office of magistrate, while at the same time John 
Gardner was named as chief military officer. Upon petition 
to the governor the Gardners were granted licenses to 
engage in fishing as a business, and authorized to secure 
such land along the shore as they might need from the 
Indians. From this date, 1674, on for a number of years, 
the conflict raged. To all the votes of the town that 
favored the Gardners or their adherents the Coffins entered 
their "decent." For instance : when, in the spring elec- 
tion of 1674, Peter Folger and John Gardner were selected 
to go to New York to consult the governor in regard to 
the town business, Tristram and his followers immediately 
"entered their decent." Again, when, in the fall of 1674, 
John Gardner was elected by the people for the purpose of 
going to New York to confer with the governor on impor- 
tant matters concerning "what may infring the Liberties of 
the Chartar" the Coffin faction again vigorously "decented," 
seeming to be in fear lest Gardner should gain advantage 
by coming into such close relation with the governing pow- 
ers. Another question that caused much discussion and 
resulted in serious dissention was the one relating to land 
ownership. The Gardner faction held that in the matter 
of voting all men should have equal voice, regardless of the 
amount of land they might possess ; but the Coffin adherents 
claimed that the ones who owned whole shares should be 



2 6 The Glacier's Gift 

entitled to two votes, while one-half share men should be 
entitled to but one, and though two of Tristram's sons had 
never lived on the island, yet he claimed the right to vote 
on their shares. Now that the spirit of antagonism was 
abroad in the land, complaints w-ere registered on all occa- 
sions, but owing to the larger number of people belonging 
to the Gardner side of the controversy, it left the governing 
power in the hands of the latter. One complaint that Coffin 
sent in to the governor stated that the affairs were disposed 
of "by tradesmen and seamen, who with some of the 
purchasers, being the major part of said Island, in persons, 
though not in property, have elected unto authority some 
of themselves, whereby they have presumed to dispose of 
our purchase, dividing it among one another, neither can 
we have any redress, they affirming that every card they 
play is an ace, and every ace a trump, and that we have no 
remedy in law." (Worth.) 

Up to 1675 the Gardner party seems to have held the 
reins of government quite firmly in their hands, but as the 
two parties were of so nearly the same size, it took but one 
little change to throw the weight on the opposite side of 
the scale. Two of the Gardner party suddenly went over to 
the Coffin contingent — then there were lively times indeed. 
The latter's followers now came into power and ousted their 
opponents without delay, and gave them to understand, in 
no weak manner, that they were not expected to have any 
say whatsoever in the affairs of the state. Not satisfied with 
this, Coffin gratified his desire for revenge by having Peter 
Folger arrested and put in jail, without even allowing him 
to see the warrant on which his arrest was based. For a 
year and a half his incarceration continued, in a place "where 
never any Englishman was put, and where the neighbors 
hoge had layed but the night before, and in a bitter cold frost 
and deep snow ; they had only thrown out most of the 
dirt, hoge dung and snow, the rest the Constable told me, 



The Rise and Fall of Utopia 27 

I might lie upon, if I would; that is, upon the boards in 
that case, and without victuals or fire. Indeed I persuaded 
him to fetch a little hay and he did so, and some friend did 
presently bring in some bedding and victuals." Taking into 
consideration that Folger was a man past sixty years of age 
at that time, it might seem that the punishment was far in 
excess of the crime, as the charge on which he was jailed 
was contempt of court. Worth, in "Nantucket Lands and 
Land Owners," says : "Whatever else may be said of the 
rule of John Gardner and his associates, it is a fact that 
they never imprisoned or disfranchised their enemies." 
The same cannot be said of the Coffin faction. Not being 
satisfied with persecuting Gardner and Folger, they entered 
suits against the friends and relatives of these their chief 
opponents — even the wives were not exempt. One example 
was Richard Gardner's wife, who openly criticized Coffin 
for causing the imprisonment of Peter Folger. She was 
convicted and the sentence passed upon her was that "she 
should be reproved and admonished to have care for the 
future, of evil words, tending to defaming his Majesty's 
Court." For two years the Coffin adherents held matters 
with a high hand, when suddenly they were made to realize 
that they had overstepped the limit of human endurance. 
On the petition of John Gardner and Peter Folger, Governor 
Andros ordered that the fines and disfranchisement pro- 
ceedings were "null and void." Now the Gardners were 
in the ascendency, and so the war was waged until the year 
1680, when Gardner specially befriended Coffin in a matter 
which might have proven serious for the latter had not 
the clemency of the governor been sought by Gardner, who 
was agent of Governor Andros. A French ship laden with 
hides was wrecked off Nantucket in 1678. At that time 
Tristram Coffin was chief magistrate and his agent took 
"charge of the wreck and sold the property." The gover- 
nor receiving no report of the case, sent his commissioners 



28 The Glacier's Gift 

to make inquiries, and they ordered Coffin to pay the state 
a certain amount, after having allowed him a certain com- 
mission for his work. Here Coffin entered his last dissent. 
Through Gardner's influence the governor's claim was 
greatly 'reduced and thus peace was restored between the 
belligerents. The feud seems to have terminated in a pretty 
romance, the culmination of which was the marriage of 
Jethro Coffin, the grandson of Tristram, and Mary, the 
daughter of John Gardner. Tristram Coffin passed away in 
1681, and within a few short years the other principals in 
this famous contest followed him. 

As a closing tribute to these sturdy settlers the words of 
George Lunt, in "Three Eras of New England," seem 
especially fitting : 

"For my own part, I care little for the imperfections of such men. 
It is superfluous to defend the founders of New England. A vain 
and thankless task is his, who attempts to underestimate their 
virtues, or to detract from the majestic proportions of the gray 
fathers of the people. Their personal faults passed with them to 
the grave, their just principles and noble actions survived, and 
blossomed into a living harvest of sacred and immortal memory." 




CHAPTER IV 

The Age of the "Inner Light" 

OMEONE has tritely said "Beware of the 
man with one idea," Ridpath's assertion that 
''Nothing is so dangerous to a stupid con- 
servatism as an idea" to the contrary not- 
withstanding. It has ever been the man who 
has had faith in the "one far-off divine event" 
and the courage of his convictions; he is the 
power that has been feh throughout the world. 
One has but to turn to the pages of history on which are 
written the names of those few earnest men who brought 
about the great era known as the Reformation. From the 
beginning of human speculation, no subject has been the 
cause of such a diversity of opinions as that of religion. 
In the doctrines of the Philosoph-theologians of the Middle 
Ages are to be found great gaps, diversities and incon- 
sistencies of logic, but Christian faith, more or less properly 
understood and interpreted, was always to be found at 
the bottom of their disputes. After all, it is not the philo- 
sophical side of religion that appeals to the masses, but 
rather the emotional attributes it may be said to possess; 
for the unsatisfied soul of man is ever seeking a panacea 
for spiritual ills, and so long as these speculative tendencies 
exist in the human mind, so long will new creeds and 
doctrines present themselves. Each age has produced a 
man of power along these lines. The fifteenth century 
brought forth Erasmus, the scholar, whose idea of reform 
was through education. But he was not in harmony with 
the age in which he lived, as his doctrine could only appeal 
to the intellect, while the general tendencies of the times 
were toward coarseness and brutality. Erasmus was the 



30 The Glacier's Gift 

direct antipodes to anything of the sort; and although his 
efforts at reform were a fiat failure, yet he remained true 
to his convictions, despite the fact that he was subject to 
scorn and abuse. Directly following Erasmus came Luther 
and Melancthon, the result of whose aggressiveness is 
known to all the religious world. The sixteenth century 
brought out the teachings of Calvin, who was by nature 
a gloomy, dolorous character. His theology partook of 
his pessimistic qualities and, strange as it may appear, 
the doctrine took a firm hold on the people. Indeed, it 
was a brave man who dared contradict or refuse to accept 
this doctrine of predestination. It has been said that "no 
such religious rigors had ever been witnessed in the world 
as those which prevailed where the Calvinistic doctrines 
flourished." Although brought about by burnings at the 
stake and the inflictions of cruelties on those who dared 
refuse these different ideas, the Reformation did much 
toward liberating man from ecclesiastical bondage; but 
to quote Ridpath, "The New Church in Germany was a great 
improvement on Romanism ; but in England it would have 
required a microscope to discover even the premonitory 
symptoms of a true reform." Paradoxical as it may seem, 
the religion of Jesus Christ, the foundation of which is 
peace and love, has ever been the cause of dissension and 
strife, even to the point of bloodshed and inhuman cruelty. 
Each new sect has been so certain of having discovered 
the keynote to right living that it has sought to enforce its 
precepts, even at the point of the sword, if necessary. The 
Church of England, through its arrant bigotry, caused the 
Puritans to leave all that was dear to them by birth and 
tradition, preferring the uncertain fate awaiting them on 
the uncharted seas and the unexplored country beyond, 
to the unceasing vigilance and unreasonable demands of 
the Anglican Church; as soon, however, as the Pilgrims 
and Puritans became any sort of power in the New World, 



The Age of the "Inner Light" 31 

they proceeded to lay down the law to all comers. Chief 
among the later arrivals to fall under a ban were the 
Quakers, or Friends. This sect was founded by George 
Fox, the son of a Leicestershire weaver, who was said to 
have descended from ''the stock of martyrs." He, in early 
life, "fell under conviction" and studied much on the nature 
and destiny of man. He sought solitude and there he was 
given the light for which he sought. He was convinced 
that in each man exists the great 'Tnner Light," which 
is in reality the Divine Spirit with which mankind is 
endowed. Right at this time was discovered the later doc- 
trine of New Thought, the going into "the Silence" to 
attain spiritual power and to develop the Christ spirit, 
which is the divine inheritance of mankind. Fox was 
fiercely opposed by the Church of England and the Calvin- 
ists and was punished severely, being set in stocks and 
cruelly beaten, besides being put in prison. His doctrine 
spread, nevertheless, and he gained many adherents, among 
the peasant class more especially, as his doctrine did not 
recognize social distinctions, all men being free and equal, 
each one being allowed to preach if the spirit so moved 
him. The dress was simple and plain and well within the 
means of the poorest. Women were given the right to 
speak in public and altogether this seemed to be an ideal 
sect with which to affiliate. Imagine the dismay of the 
Puritans on hearing of the arrival of Fox into this land of 
religious liberty ( ?), to which he came seeking a refuge for 
his followers. New England was strictly opposed to him 
and his doctrines, while in the Southern colonies the English 
Church was of sufficient strength to successfully frustrate 
his plans. As a slight digression, it is interesting to note 
the following rigid laws of Puritan New England at this 
time : "No food or lodging could be given a Quaker, Adam- 
ite or other heretic. No one was allowed to run on the 
Sabbath-day or walk in his garden or elsewhere, except 



32 The Glacier's Gift 

reverently to and from meeting. No one could sweep, cook, 
travel, cut hair or shave on the Sabbath-day. No woman 
should kiss her husband or children either on Fast-day or 
Sunday. No one could read Common Prayer, keep Christ- 
mas or Saint's days, make mince pies, dance, play cards or 
play on any instrument of music, except the drum, trumpet 
or jews-harp. The magistrates only should join in marriage 
as they might do it with less scandal to Christ's Church." 

Regardless of the reception tendered George Fox, others 
of his sect began to arrive in America. In 1656 Ann Austin 
and Mary Fisher came to Boston. Great was the conster- 
nation caused by their appearance. The most malignant 
scourge would have received less notice. The women were 
searched for signs of witchcraft, their trunks ruthlessly 
broken, while the books found in their possession were 
burned and the offenders themselves ignominiously sent 
to prison, where they were confined several weeks, when 
they were liberated and driven from the colony. Disre- 
garding the treatment accorded these venturesome evan- 
gelists, others followed, only to be whipped and banished, 
and threatened with death should they return. In fact, 
the death penalty was visited upon some of "the fanatical 
disturbers of the peace." In 1659 four persons, one of 
whom was a woman, were tried, condemned and hanged, 
the judges having no compassion even on the latter. 

The first record given of the Quakers visiting Nantucket 
is that of Thomas Chalkley, who came to the island from 
England in 1698, and was followed in 1704 by Thomas 
Story, who also was an English Quaker. Both of these 
men held "meetings" and received favorable attention 
from the people in general, although in the early history 
of the island one can read where some of the men high 
in authority were much opposed to allowing the Quakers 
to settle there. There is no record, however, of the opposi- 
tion reaching the point of punishment in any way. Through 



The Age of the "Inner Light" 33 

the preaching of Story, Nathaniel Starbuck and his wife, 
Mary, became converts to the church in 1704 and they in 
turn became ministers. Very fortunate, indeed, it was for 
the new sect to have won the favor of Mary Starbuck. 
She was a woman of so much influence in pubHc affairs 
that much of the success of the early church was due to 
her untiring energy and zeal. The first monthly "meeting" 
was established in 1708 and to this "meeting" came earnest 
ministers and visitors from the larger cities on the main- 
land. In 1730 a meetinghouse was erected at the corner 
of Main and Saratoga streets. So rapidly did the "meet- 
ing" increase in numbers that by 1792 a second meeting- 
house was erected and the congregation divided between 
the two houses. In 1794 more than one-half the total 
population of the island were members of the Friends' 
church. But now the tide had reached its height and secure 
in their belief that theirs was the only true religion, they 
became rigid in their discipline and despotic in their rulings. 
It seemed to them as though they were the favored and 
only ones who were possessed of the wonderful "Inner 
Light," those not conforming to the rules of this particular 
sect being forever denied the possibility of attainment. 
One is here reminded of the story of the man who, having 
attended evangelistic services and becoming convicted of 
his sins, knelt down under a bridge where he was at work 
and prayed for forgiveness and light. His prayer being 
answered, he never could be convinced that anyone could 
receive pardon in any other place or under any dift"erent 
circumstances. So it was with the Friends — if anyone 
allowed himself to even think along different lines, he must 
of necessity be a heretic. Some of them lived lives of 
visionaries, and one instance in particular is worthy of 
note : One Joseph Hoag, although not a native of Nan- 
tucket, was known as a traveling Friend. He was singu- 
larly spiritual and possessed of a sweetly persuasive manner. 

3 



34 The Glacier's Gift 

He made many converts to the Friends' religion in all parts 
of the country. He was born in New York State in 1762, 
moving to Vermont later. He was very much attached to 
the Nantucket people, with whom he spent much of his 
time. His vision, of which he wrote in his latter years, is 
interesting and surprising. At the time it was considered 
simply the effect of abnormal conditions of the brain, but 
in later times, owing to the fulfillment of a number of the 
prophecies, it has been looked on as partaking of the super- 
natural. 

"In the year 1803, probably in the eighth month, I was one day 
in the field and observed the sun shone clear, but a mist suddenly 
eclipsed the brightness of its shining. As I reflected on the singu- 
larity of the event my mind was clothed with silence the most solemn 
that I remember to have ever witnessed, for all my faculties were 
laid low and unusually brought into silence. I said to myself, 'What 
can all this mean?' I don't remember ever to have been sensible 
of such feelings, and I heard a voice from Heaven saying: 'This 
that thou seest, that dims the brightness of the sun, is a sign of 
the present and future times. I took the fathers of this country 
from a land of oppression, I planted them here among the forests, 
I blessed and sustained them, and while they were humble I fed 
them, and they became a numerous people. But they have become 
proud and lifted up and forgot me who nourished and protected 
them in the wilderness and are running into every abomination and 
evil practice of which the old country was guilty, and have taken 
quietude from the land and suffered a dividing spirit to come 
among them. Lift up thine eyes and behold.' I saw them dividing 
in great heat. This division in the churches was a point of doctrine. 
It commenced in the Presbyterian Society and went through the 
various religious denominations and in its progress and close its 
effects were nearly the same ; those who dissented went off with 
high heads and taunting language, and those who kept their original 
sentiments appeared exercised and sorrowful. And when the 
dividing spirit entered the society of Friends it raged in as high a 
degree as any I had before discovered; and as before, those who 
separated went with lofty looks and taunting, censuring language ; 
those who kept to their ancient principles retired by themselves. 
It then appeared in the lodges of the Free-masons and set the 
country in an uproar for a length of time. Then it entered politics 



The Age of the "Inner Light" 35 

throughout the United States and it did not stop until it produced a 
civil war, and an abundance of blood was shed in the course of the 
contest. The Southern states lost their power and slavery was 
annihilated from their borders. Then a monarchical government 
arose and established a national religion and made all societies 
tributary to its support. I saw them take property from the Friends 
to a large amount. I was amazed at all this and I heard a voice 
proclaim 'This power shall not always stand, but with this power 
will I chastise my churches until they return to the faithfulness of 
their forefathers. Thou seest what is coming upon the land for 
their iniquities and for the blood of Africa, the remembrance of 
which has come up before me. This vision is yet for many days.' 

I had no intention of writing it for many years, until it became 
such a burden to me that, for my own relief, I have so written. 

Joseph Hoag." 

Someone has said that "there must be a soul before there 
can be a body; and on the other hand, a soul without. a 
body is not adapted to life in this world." So with the 
Quakers, their creed of the "Inner Light" is most satisfy- 
ing to the spiritual side ; but this world is far from perfect 
yet, and while it may sound well to preach the doctrine 
of allowing both cheeks to be smitten, still it is not altogether 
within the control of man to allow this state of affairs. It 
is more natural for even the Quaker to say, "Friend, thee 
is standing just where I am going to shoot." 

In Nantucket, after 1800, the Friends began their decline. 
One cause was the number of emigrations which took place 
early in the nineteenth century. The War of 1812 caused 
the Nantucket Quakers to lose much of their property and 
while the tenets of the church held for social equality and 
a desire for little of this world's goods, yet there were some 
very wealthy people in that church. 

About this time the Methodists formed a society on the 
island and through their zeal and inspiring services attracted 
many of the younger members of the Friends' organization. 
Then, too, the extreme rigidity of discipline did much to 
hasten the end. They were not discriminating in their 



36 The Glacier's Gift 

judgments, disowning their members outright, regardless 
of the gravity or simplicity of the offense. For instance : 
One person "went to sea in an armed vessel"; another 
"was disowned for deviating from our principles of dress 
and address, persisting in wearing buckles and refusing 
to say 'thee' and 'thou.' " Still another "kept company 
with a man not in membership with us and attended a 
place where there was music and dancing." One was dis- 
owned for having attended a marriage performed by a 
minister. One other had "married a woman not a mem- 
ber." 

Another cause for the decline of the Quaker church was 
the division that now came in that body. What is known 
as the Hicksite movement made itself known about 1830. 
Elias Hicks, having been long in the ministry, was charged 
with heresy. He was a farmer on Long Island, but was a 
powerful orator. He denied the charges presented against 
him, but his followers established a separate church and, 
owing to a less rigid discipline, it soon gained in numbers, 
thus depleting the already failing • numbers of the more 
orthodox "meeting." After this quickly followed other 
divisions and subdivisions, among them the Gurney division 
and later the Wilberite division, a more lengthy discussion 
of which may be found in the pamphlet entitled "Quaker- 
ism on Nantucket since 1800," by H. B. Worth. It is a 
curious fact that in a place where at one time there were 
several thousand members, there is not one remaining at 
the present time. Eunice Paddock, who died in 1900, was 
the last member of the Quaker society in Nantucket. 

This simple religious sect carried out their idea of sim- 
plicity and distaste for form and ceremony even to the 
grave. In a field destitute of any sign of its precious 
freight lie the bodies of ten thousand Quakers. A broken 
fence surrounds a windswept sandy piece of moorland. 
Here no monument arises in majestic dignity, rehearsing 
the goodly qualities of the dust beneath, no flowers planted 



The Age of the "Inner Light" 37 

by loving- hands ornament the graves of this once influential 
people. Only the wild grass and weeds, among which trail 
the thorny vines of wild blackberries, which cling to the 
passerby as if to bid him speculate upon the end of all. 
A great deal of adverse criticism has been passed on the 
relatives and friends of the ones who lie buried here, 
because they have not had the grounds beautified and monu- 
ments erected, and while all will agree that much can be 
done to make the grounds attractive, still it seems only in 
keeping with the tenets of the faith of this people that 
everything be kept as simple as possible, realizing that 
"There are memories greater than these, embalmed in His- 
tory; their graves unknown; while sooner or later, time's 
ruthless hand doth seize the perishable stone." 

None believed more firmly in the transient honor bestowed 
upon mortals by their own kind than these people who 
lived so near to the heart of things. ' They truly felt, no 
doubt, "That builded tombs and all the strong desire to 
be remembered after death is vain," and that "A transient 
name on the stone, a transient love in the heart, we have 
our day and are gone." 

In one corner of this cemetery one can see a few plain 
white markers which adorn the graves of the Hicksite 
members, who were more given to the frivolities and 
fashions of the world's people. 

Compare the strict simplicity and dignity of the cemetery, 
minus monument and epitaph, with the more ornate decora- 
tions in other burial places and the almost ludicrous inscrip- 
tions, which would call forth a smile, were it not for the 
apparent sincerity exhibited by the bereaved ones. The 
following are taken from the old South Cemetery, one of 
the oldest in Nantucket : 

'"Stop, kind reader, and shed a tear, 

O'er the dust that slumbers here ; 
And when you read the fate of me. 

Think on the glass that runs for three." 



38 The Glacier's Gift 

"Stop, my friends, as jou pass by; 

As you am now so once was I ; 
As I am now, so must you be ; 

Prepare for death and follow me. 
Follow me and be you wise, 

And up to Heaven you will arise." 

"However dear she was not laid here ; 
Some private grief was her disease; 
Laid to the north her friends to please." 

"Mother, thee is not forgotten." 

In bringing this chapter to a close, in justice to the 
Quakers be it said that the reason for their swift decHne 
was that they were a people who lived several generations 
too far removed from the millennium. In the dim and 
distant future, when the ultimate perfection of man shall 
have been attained, then, and not till then, will it be possible 
to live guided alone by the "Inner Light." Till then each 
must live up to his highest convictions, keeping in mind that, 

"New occasions teach new duties, 

Time makes ancient good uncouth; 
They must upward still and onward 

Who would keep abreast of truth; 
Truth forever on the scaffold, 

Wrong forever on the throne ; 
Yet that scaffold sways the future 

And behind the dim unknown, 
Standeth God within the shadow, 

Keeping watch above his own." ^ 



( 




CHAPTER V 

"The Hand that Rules the World" 

N nearly all the crises of the world's history 
woman has in reality been the "power behind 
the throne." The pages of ancient, medieval 
and modern history glow with the achieve- 
ments of valorous men, but little space is given 
to the influence exerted by the mothers, wives 
and sisters of these same characters, made 
famous, alike, in story and song. To be sure, 
the pulses are quickened by reading of the sacrifices of 
Antigone, one of the most pathetic of early Greek tradition ; 
fascinating in the extreme is the history of the ambitious 
and voluptuous Cleopatra, of whom it has been said, 'Tf 
the nose of Cleopatra had been shorter, the whole face of 
the earth would have been changed." Familiar enough to 
the modern student are the names of Aspasia, from whom 
Pericles got most of his ideas ; Cornelia, mother of the 
Gracchi, to whom, rather than the Gracchi themselves, the 
Roman reforms were due. The rape of Lucrece, followed 
by her noble confession and pathetic expiation, resulted 
in the expulsion of Tarquin and marked the beginning of 
a brilliant era in Roman history. Alfred the Great attrib- 
uted his love of learning and goodness of character to his 
mother's influence. In later history are to be found the 
names of Isabella of Spain, to whom the discovery of 
America is really due ; Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen, and 
Catherine de'Medici. In that terrible revolution, when the 
streets of Paris flowed with blood, none played a more 
important part in that human tragedy than Charlotte Cor- 
day and Madame Roland. In our own country's crises 
women have occupied no minor position. In the American 



40 The Glacier s Gift 

Revolution women took a very prominent part, ofttimes with 
breaking hearts, laying their sacrifices on their country's 
altar, that not only the people of that particular generation, 
but that all who should follow after, for all time to come, 
might have the privilege of religious and civil liberty. 
Again, when the Union stood in danger of disintegration, 
who was it that felt the hardest shock of the war? Was 
it the men who went away, in many instances, with smiling 
faces, looking on the war as a wild frolic of a few weeks' 
duration? Not by any means. It was the wives and 
mothers, who had the families to care for, left alone to 
bear the responsibilities of rearing the boys left in their 
charge, while often such poverty threatened that the mother 
was forced to be bread-winner as well as home-keeper. 
Still, through all those days of storm and stress, bravely and 
without a murmur, woman stood with her shoulder to the 
wheel, regardless of reward other than the realization that 
it was done for God, and home, and native land. It is 
not given to every woman, the rearing of warriors. All 
women cannot be Damainetas crying aloud to Sparta, "I 
bore these children for thy sake," but no grander truism 
was ever uttered than this : "The hand that rocks the 
cradle is the hand that rules the world." In no place is 
woman's influence felt more vividly than in the home. It 
is not an influence that ceases at the doorway, but one that 
follows the boy after he has left the home nest and gone 
to take his place among men, to conquer, or be conquered, 
in the battle of life. It is the memory of the prayer, 
lisped at mother's knee, while her hand rested in bene- 
diction on his tangled curls ; it is the memory of mother's 
songs, hummed softly in the twilight ; her words of earnest 
entreaty, which serve to keep him unspotted from the world ; 
it is the memory of that last embrace and touch of lips, 
as mother gently sends him from her, realizing that the 
family circle, which heretofore has not been broken, will 



''The Hand that Rules the World" 41 

never be complete again. It is the memory of these things 
that helps him keep faith with virtuous womanhood. 

In the production of famous women, Nantucket stands 
second to none. In the front ranks it is only right that 
the name of Abiah Folger should be placed. In the year 
1667, on the fifteenth day of August, there was born to 
Peter and Mary Folger a daughter, who was destined, in 
the course of her life, to become the mother of America's 
foremost philosopher, inventor and diplomat, Benjamin 
Franklin. It seems as if the divine purpose had decreed 
that this unique honor should fall to one of the women 
of this seagirt isle. Although denied the distinction of 
being the birthplace of the man himself, it remained for 
the mother to claim the privilege of having here first seen 
the light of day, far from the strife and confusion of the 
great world. Like other of Nantucket's women, Abiah 
suckled and cared for her own children, while at the same 
time she gathered to her motherly heart the seven mother- 
less bairns of Josiah Franklin, the man she chose for her 
life's partner. It is a regrettable fact that very little con- 
cerning her life is left on record. That she lived to a 
good old age and had the privilege of seeing her son 
become famous is about all that is known. Of this we are 
assured, however, that much of his sturdy character and 
his eventual success in life Franklin attributed to his 
mother's influence. A memorial tablet and drinking foun- 
tain, placed there by the Abiah Folger Chapter of the 
D. A. R., marks the site of the old homestead, long ago 
burned down. As one drives by this windswept piece of 
undulating moorland, the lines from Swinburne's ''For- 
saken Garden" present themselves to the mind : 

"Over the meadows that blossom and wither. 

Rings but the note of a seabird's song. 
Only the sun and the rain come hither 

All year long. 



42 The Glaciers Gift 

The sun burns sear, and the rain dishevels 

One gaunt bleak blossom of scentless breath. 
Only the wind here hovers and revels 

In a round where life seems barren as death. 
Here there was laughing of old, there was weeping, 

Haply, of lovers none ever will know, 
Whose eyes went seaward a hundred sleeping 

Years ago. 
********* 

Here death may deal not again forever; 

Here change may come not till all change end. 
From the graves they have made they shall rise up never. 

Who have left naught living to ravage and rend. 
Earth, stones, and thorns of the wild ground growing, 

While the sun and the rain live, these shall be; 
Till a last wind's breath, upon all these blowing. 

Roll the sea. 

Till the slow sea rise, and the sheer cliff crumble. 

Till terrace and meadow the deep gulfs drink. 
Till the strength of the waves of the high tides humble 

The fields that lessen, the rocks that shrink. 
Here now in his triumph where all things falter. 

Stretched out on the spoils that his own hand spread. 
As a god self-slain on his own strange altar. 

Death lies dead." 

Another name belonging in the galaxy of famous women 
is that of Mary Starbuck. While not of Nantucket birth, 
yet so closely was she identified with all concerning this 
island of her adoption that she can be easily classified as 
one of its truly great characters. She was born in Haver- 
hill, Massachusetts, February 2, 1645, ^"^ ^"^'^^ the seventh 
child of Tristram and Dionis Coffin. She was married, at 
the early age of seventeen, to Nathaniel, son of Edward and 
Catherine Starbuck. There were ten children born of this 
union, the eldest, Mary, having the distinction of being the 
first white child born on the island of Nantucket. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was a woman of rare intellect and strong 



"The Hand that Rules the World" 43 

character, taking an active part in all affairs of moment. 
Being an eloquent speaker, her words were listened to with 
the most profound respect. She was consulted on all mat- 
ters of public importance and, because of her keen insight, 
was acknowledged a great power. Her husband, Nathaniel, 
was a man of no mean ability, but he always gave his wife 
the preference, thus seeming to acknowledge her to be his 
superior. So free from conceit was she, however, that in 
her debates she gave her husband credit of thinking ''so 
and so." While she expressed herself with great force, her 
address was elegant and refined. She was said to have been 
baptized by Peter Folger, and while not ardently religious 
during her younger days, at the age of fifty-six she became 
a convert to the Quaker faith and became a noted speaker 
and exhorter. It was at her house that the first Friends' 
Meeting was organized, and it met there for four years. 
In spite of all her activities and enthusiasm for outside 
affairs, she was noted for her domestic economy and perfect 
control and discharge of her household duties. She lived 
her allotted time, dying September 13, 171 7. 

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed ; her husband 
also, and he praiseth her." 

Another noted descendant of the first Tristram Coffin 
was Lucretia Alott. She was born in Nantucket the third 
of January, 1793, and was the daughter of Thomas and 
Anna (Folger) Coffin, thus being a descendant of Peter 
Folger on the maternal side. The Motts removed to Phila- 
delphia when Lucretia was eleven years old, and it was there 
she was educated. In 181 1 she was married to James 
Mott, and to this particularly happy union were born six 
children, five of Avhom lived to maturity, proving them- 
selves to be a great credit to the influence of their gifted 
mother. Mrs. Mott was unquestionably the brightest 
woman of her time, being indeed far in advance of her 



44 The Glacier's Gift 

generation. She early discovered the secret of entering 
into "the Silence," thus gaining spiritual strength and rare 
inspiration. As a speaker she had no superiors. She was 
a philanthropist, preacher, abolitionist, woman's suffragist, 
and in fact took up all questions of importance then extant. 
When the question of equal rights presented itself, she 
placed her convictions even above religious tenets and dared, 
as only great natures do, to disobey the edict of the Quaker 
sect, to which she belonged, prohibiting the mingling with 
what were known as the "world's people." In 1827 she 
became interested in the broader views held forth by the 
Hicksite branch of the Friends' church, becoming one of 
its most ardent supporters and earnest ministers. In 1833 
she assisted in forming the original antislavery society of 
the United States, w^hich declared the eternal rights of 
all men. In June, 1840, Mrs. Mott went as a delegate 
to the World's Antislavery Convention, held in London, 
and it was the treatment she received at this time that 
impelled her to become a woman suffragist. While she 
was sent as a representative, yet she could not sit in the 
same council chamber with the male contingent, and was in 
other ways made to feel that, simply because she was a 
woman, she could not cross the impassible gulf which was 
fixed between the sexes. In 1848 she went to Seneca Falls, 
New York, as a delegate to the first suffragist convention 
in America, and it was here that it became manifest that 
this woman, whose eloquence held her vast audiences 
spellbound, was of a superior mould. Her preaching con- 
cerning slavery was ever put into practice, making her 
attitude consistent and giving potency to her doctrine of 
equal rights to all men. She took this attitude at a time 
when to be known as an abolitionist was to court personal 
injury, if not death; but it has been said of her that her 
tact and perfectly fearless bearing had much to do with 
her success as a speaker and often saved her from violence. 



"The Hand that Rules the World" 45 

She was as sweetly serene in the midst of a howHng mob, 
the target for stale eggs and brickbats, as when in her own 
home, attending simple household duties. Her name was 
revered by the colored people, for whom she labored with 
such untiring zeal, and many children of lowly negro 
parents were given the name of their friend and benefac- 
tress, Lucretia Mott ; and it may be stated here that not 
only the children of this outcast and downtrodden race 
were the recipients of this honored name, but families of 
high degree displayed their affection for this noble woman 
by bestowing her name upon their firstborn, one example 
being that of Lord and Lady Amberly, who christened 
their daughter Lucretia Mott Amberly. Mrs. Mott proved 
very conclusively that although a woman may be the mother 
of a large family, she yet may have time for self-culture 
and usefulness to the world at large. With a family of 
six children, and without the assistance of nurse or maid, 
Mrs. Mott never allowed anything to interfere with her 
reading. She found time to do this by omitting many 
unnecessary stitches and garniture in the family sewing. 
She often said that the ladies' department of periodicals 
of the day had no charm for her, yet she was always well 
dressed and neat, beyond criticism. Her most marked 
characteristic was her entire freedom from personal little- 
ness. She was the embodiment of human perfection. 
Upon entering the room where she might be sitting, one 
could not but feel that he was coming close to the Presence, 
Her keenest sorrow came to her after fifty-seven years 
of married life, when her husband, to whom she was 
devoted, passed away from earth. Theirs had been a singu- 
larly happy union, owing to a marked congeniality of tastes. 
After twelve years of waiting, Mrs. Mott laid down her 
work and stepped over the line, painlessly and peacefully, 
surrounded by her devoted children, November 11, 1880. 
The public journals vied with each other in singing her 



46 The Glacier's Gift 

praises and heaping a tribute of honor on the name of this 
truly great American woman. "Give her of the fruit of 
her hands ; and let her own works praise her in the gates." 

One of the most ardent antislavery apostles was Anna 
Gardner, who was born at Nantucket, January 25, 1816. 
Her parents were Oliver and Hannah (Macy) Gardner. iVt 
a very early age she became interested in the antislavery 
movement, and it was through her influence that a conven- 
tion was called in Nantucket, at which Frederick Douglass 
made his debut as a public speaker. At one time there 
was much feeling among the people of the island on the 
question of the negroes being allowed to attend the same 
school as the white children. After much agitation it was 
decided that, for the good of all concerned, it would be 
best to remove the offending obstacle. On hearing the 
decision, Anna Gardner immediately opened a school for 
the colored children and taught them until after the Civil 
War, when she became a teacher among the freedmen of 
North and South Carolina and Virginia. She was a most 
enthusiastic supporter of woman's suffrage, and in fact 
interested herself in all reforms. She was a sincere 
admirer of Frederick Douglass, assisting at a reception 
tendered him and his wife on one of their visits to the 
island. Miss Gardner was a writer of marked ability, 
her writings of both poetry and prose being widely read. 
A volume of her poems was published in 1881. Her name 
is mentioned with great reverence by all those in Nantucket 
who still remember her. Death came to her at her home, 
February 18, 1901. 

"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reach- 
eth forth her hands to the needy." 

As a woman famous in business enterprise and possessed 
of more than ordinary ability, the name of Miriam Coffin 



"The Hand that Rules the World" 47 

must ever find a place in the history of Nantucket. Miriam, 
or Keziah, was the daughter of Daniel and Abigail Folger, 
and was born October 9, 1723. She married John Coffin, 
and was the owner of a fine house in town, as well as a 
country place in Ouaise, where it is said smuggling was 
carried on extensively, Miriam being arrested and tried at 
Watertown on that charge. It has also been said of her that 
she owned so many ships in the merchants' service th.at she 
was known in every sea. She was accused, on very good 
authority, of giving aid to the British during the Revolu- 
tionary War. Her death was caused by falling downstairs, 
which accident occurred March 29, 1790. Colonel Hart 
immortalized her by making her the heroine of his novel 
(which, by the way, is credited with being the only real 
Nantucket novel ever written), "Miriam Coffin, or The 
Whale Fishermen." 

"She perceiveth that her merchandise is good : her candle 
goeth not out by night." 

As a preface to the life of another of Nantucket's famous 
women, it is but right and just that the mother, whose 
influence had much to do in the forming of that character 
which must ever stand at the top of the list of the truly 
great, should be given honorable mention, at least. The 
name of Lydia Coleman Mitchell should ever be linked 
with that of her famous daughter, Maria Mitchell. In the 
year 18 13 Lydia Coleman was united in marriage with 
William Mitchell, and began her married life on a small 
farm, which her husband tended in summer, while the 
winters he devoted to teaching school, it is said at a salary 
of two dollars a week. It can only be surmised that the 
young couple must have often been in want of the neces- 
saries of life, although, soon after the first child was born, 
there seems to have been a revival in business aflfairs 
which so changed the aspect of their lives that greater 



48 The Glacier's Gift 

prosperity came and they were able to live in comfort. Of 
this union there were ten children, and one need not stretch 
his imagination to realize what that meant, in those days 
of storm and stress. It is said that Mrs. Mitchell was 
possessed of great strength of character, and while she was 
of an affectionate temperament, yet she held herself in 
such perfect poise that she was wholly undemonstrative. 
With rare intuition she understood her children's capa- 
bilities, and firmly, though gently guided them into channels 
where each could make the most of the talents with which 
he or she was endowed. From this environment came a 
sturdy, self-reliant family, and while Maria Mitchell must 
always shine as the bright particular star, yet the other 
members have been only slightly lesser lights in the firma- 
ment of intellectual achievement. The subject of this 
sketch, Maria Mitchell, was the third child in the family 
of ten, being born August i, 181 8. She descended on the 
mother's side from Peter Folger, of early Nantucket fame. 
Though the Mitchell family was poor, as one counts worldly 
possessions, yet the home was one of a high order of cul- 
ture; and though, owing to the fact that the parents were 
Quakers, the children were prohibited from many worldly 
amusements which they might have enjoyed, yet the home 
life was ideal. All were readers, and such excellent care 
was taken of the schoolbooks that one copy was said to 
have descended from one member of the family to another 
till seven names were recorded on the flyleaf. In early 
life, Maria did not give great promise as a scholar, being 
of a timid, retiring nature; but once under her father's 
tuition, she made rapid progress, especially along mathe- 
matical and scientific lines. Just across the street from 
the Mitchell homestead on Vestal Street stands a small 
building which still bears close resemblance to a school- 
house. It was here that William Mitchell, having given up 
farming, taught school, six hours a day, five days a week. 



"The Hand that Rules the World" 49 

eleven months a year, and yet there were no complaints of 
nervous strain or breakdown among the pupils. It was in 
this school that young Maria's mind found its natural bent, 
and expanded rapidly under her father's careful direction. 
Becoming her father's assistant in making astronomical 
observations, she, at the early age of twelve years, began 
showing a decided taste for that science, and so rapidly did 
she develop in the study of mathematics that she soon 
became aware that there was no school in the United States 
that could teach her the higher branches of that study. In 
the old Vestal Street home is a room which is called Maria's 
study. It is no larger than a clothes closet and furnished 
with a rude desk, about the size of a moulding-board. In 
this quiet retreat her rare genius developed and it was here 
her most profound computations and calculations were 
made. As one approaches this particular spot, it seems as 
though he must needs remove his shoes, in realization of 
standing on holy ground. At the age of sixteen Maria 
began teaching a private school, which position she soon 
abandoned for the more congenial occupation of librarian 
at the Atheneum, where she remained for nearly twenty 
years, satisfying in a measure her desire for reading and 
study. Perhaps in no way was her influence more marked 
than in her censorship of the reading public. Being an 
avid reader, she quickly scanned the books in her charge, 
and if in her rare discrimination she discovered one which 
she considered at all pernicious to the morals, she quietly 
removed the offending volume and it was seen no more. 
Always having had a keen desire to travel in the Old World, 
she grasped the first opportunity that offered, and made the 
trip which proved an ovation from beginning to end. Her 
reputation of being a scientist and astronomer having pre- 
ceded her, she was welcomed into the most exclusive 
circles, being entertained by Herschel and other astron- 
omers, becoming a warm friend of the Hawthorne's, and 



50 The Glacier's Gift 

others of a high degree of culture. On the opening of 
Vassar College she was elected to the chair of Mathematical 
Astronomy, taking charge of the entire observatory and 
remaining there the remainder of her life. It is not prob- 
able that any other woman has had the marked distinction 
accorded her as has this daughter of the seagirt isle. In 
1847 she discovered the comet which is her namesake, and 
for which feat she won a gold medal offered by the King 
of Denmark. She was the first woman elected to the 
Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston ; was also a 
member of the American Philosophical Society, of which 
Benjamin Franklin was the founder. She became a mem- 
ber of the American Association for the Advancement of 
Science, being among the first to enter, and did so at the 
solicitation of the society. She was one of the earliest 
advocates of the advancement of women, becoming a mem- 
ber of the American Association for the Advancement of 
Women soon after its organization. She was a member 
of the New England Women's Club of Boston, and also 
of the Sorosis Club of New York City. As early as 1832 
she received her first degree of LL.D., Hanover College 
being the donor. In 1870 Rutgers Female College bestowed 
the degree of Ph.D.. while Columbia College awarded her 
the last degree of LL.D. in 1887. In personal appearance 
Miss Mitchell was not extremely attractive, as she had not 
the least degree of vanity and cared very little for personal 
adornment. This is proven by her remarks on the subject 
of the needle. She thought the needle "the chain of 
woman, which fettered her more than the laws of the 
country." She further stated, that if sewing served any 
purpose other than the gratification of woman's vanity, 
it might be more commendable, but she held that cultiva- 
tion of the mind should stand ahead of sewing, as studies 
could engross as the needle never could. She was singu- 



"The Hand that Rules the World" 51 

larly proud of being a woman, holding that there could 
be no higher destiny for a mortal. She placed a high 
value on the love her own sex bestowed upon her, feeling 
that it was sincere and needed no flattery in order to retain 
it. She was fond of nature and walked out every day, 
regardless of the weather, until, after her removal to Lynn, 
she received a fall which prevented her ever walking, as 
recreation again. She was quick at repartee and was a rare 
good story-teller. Although reared under the influence of 
the Quaker faith, her eager mind refused to be bound down 
by the narrow conventions enforced by that sect in the 
early days, and while she was never dogmatic in her creed, 
yet she conformed to the Unitarian faith during her later 
years. She was a writer of more than ordinary ability, 
but the few articles she submitted to the publishers were 
written at their personal solicitation. Her soul was in her 
college work, and she would not allow anything to interfere 
with it in any way, and was eager to continue until her 
seventieth year ; but this wish was denied her, by only six 
months, however, death coming to her June 28, 1889. Her 
remains were brought back to the island for which she 
always retained a sincere affection, and there, at the foot 
of a small hillock in Prospect Cemetery, the lot enclosed by 
a low iron fence, a modest tablet of stone announces to 
the passerby that the earthly remains of this talented 
daughter of the isle lie in this secluded spot. Briefly sum- 
ming up her life, it may well be said of Maria Mitchell 
that she was never false in her thoughts or speech. Every 
note in her character rang true, and to this genuine sin- 
cerity of living her success and influence were due. As a 
closing tribute, no more fitting words can be found than 
these : 

"Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest 
them all." 



52 The Glacier's Gift 

To bring this chapter to a close, it would be unjust, 
indeed, to allow the reader to infer that the few names 
given special mention constitute the entire list of famous 
women of whom Nantucket can truly boast. The women 
of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were possessed 
of no ordinary ability. The wives of Tristram Coffin, 
Thomas Macy, Edward Starbuck, William Bunker, William 
Worth, and other early settlers, were women of strong 
characters, whose influence was as deeply felt and of as 
great a value as that of their sturdy husbands. While 
Peter Folger's wife, Mary Morrell, was only a servant 
in the family of Hugh Peters, from whom Folger bought 
her time for the sum of £20, yet her husband often declared 
that it was the grandest bargain he ever struck and the 
best appropriation of money he had ever made. Sarah, the 
wife of Nathaniel Wyer, was famous as physician and 
nurse ; in fact, the majority of the island women were able 
attendants on the sick and dying. 

The wives and daughters of some of the settlers were 
possessed of great physical strength and endurance, in 
illustration whereof the following story is apropos : The 
young wife of William Bunker, having finished her house- 
hold duties, started out on foot to visit a friend a distance 
away. She called at one of her neighbors, asked her to 
accompany her, and the two stopped in town, where they 
persuaded another woman to join them. The three now 
walked to their destination, spent the day, and returned to 
their homes on foot the same evening, making the distance 
traveled by Mrs. Bunker not less than twenty-two miles. 

The Chase family was possessed of great physical 
strength. A story is told of one of the women of this 
family going to a store for flour and, in spite of the vigorous 
protests from the proprietor, she lifted a barrel full of the 
required article and walked out with it, seemingly without 
effort. One of the sisters moved to New York City, and 



"The Hand that Rules the World" 53 

a certain drayman persisted in running his dray against 
the corner of her house. She spoke to him of the matter 
and asked him to desist. Unfortunately for him he con- 
tinued his annoying practice, until so exasperated did Miss 
Chase become that one day she rushed out of her house, 
took hold of the wagon and turned it upside down in the 
middle of the street. 

Another anecdote, which illustrates not only the physical 
prowess but the personal bravery of the women of the 
Revolutionary times, runs as follows : At one time a num- 
ber of refugees were staying on the island, and their 
sentinels were posted around in such a manner that it 
was difficult for the inhabitants to procure water. At last 
one young woman concluded to make the venture at all 
hazards, in spite of the fact that her father told her "Thee 
had better not. Thee will only get a bayonet in thee." 
Her reply was that she would as lief die one way as another, 
and taking up two pails, started on her mission. On pass- 
ing one of the corners a sentry attempted to stop her 
progress by presenting his bayonet. Hurling a pail straight 
into his face, she struck him senseless to the ground, con- 
tinued on her way, procured the water, and returned home 
in safety. 

One might relate anecdotes innumerable, but these few 
must suffice; yet in justice to the present generation it 
must be said, that the spirit of their noted ancestors has by 
no means departed, and that should occasion arise, the 
women of to-day would not be found wanting in any of the 
attributes which go to the making of famous women. 




CHAPTER VI 

Gentlemen of the Old School 

S so much stress has been laid on the influence 
of woman and the sturdy character of the 
early settlers, it is only just that the result 
of this combination of circumstances be made 
known. It is a perfectly natural consequence 
that from so virile and wholesome an ancestry 
there should come a generation of famous 
men. One such was the son of Stephen and 
Dinah Chase, born in Nantucket the twenty-third of June, 
1754. This was Reuben Chase, who, at an early age, took 
to the sea, winning distinction by serving on the Ranger 
under John Paul Jones, receiving much praise from his 
commander after the action between the Ranger and Drake. 
Chase was also on the ship Alliance when that vessel took 
Lafayette to France. 

When Jones fitted out the Bou Homme Richard he 
selected Chase for his midshipman, and on this vessel he 
took part in one of the most spectacular and thrilling sea- 
fights on record. This was in the year 1779, when Jones 
cruised along the Scottish coast with a fleet of French and 
American vessels. On the twenty-third of September, the 
British frigate Serapis, belonging to the English squadron, 
ran afoul of Jones' ship, the Bon Homme Richard; so 
furious was the battle that ensued that in three hours' 
time the Serapis struck her colors and 300 of the 375 men 
in Jones' fleet were either killed or injured. Chase seems 
to have borne a charmed life, as he was one of the few who 
passed through the ordeal unscathed. For his conduct at 
this time he was highly commended by his victorious com- 
mander. 




Hon. Walter Folger 



Gentlemen of the Old School 55 

Later Chase became lieutenant of La Bon /{venture, a 
French privateer, whose captain, John Mayrant, was also 
from the Bon Homme Richard. 

As a member of the crew of the frigate America, Jones 
commanding. Chase's naval career came to an end, the last 
named vessel being presented to the King of France. 

He afterwards became interested in the whaling industry, 
being captain of whaleships for a number of years. 

The Chase family was noted for their great physical 
strength, anecdotes of the prowess of the sisters having 
already been told. Reuben was almost a giant in height. 
His name has been immortalized by James Fenimore Cooper 
in his famous and widely read novel, "The Pilot," the 
hero of which, Long Tom Coffin, represents the most per- 
fect type of sailor character in existence. Chase died in 
Nantucket, June 23, 1824, and the following epitaph, which 
is given through the courtesy of one of the descendants 
of this famous son of Nantucket, is much in keeping with 
the primitive idea of recording on tablets of stone all the 
circumstances attending one's last illness and demise : 

" Free from the storms and gusts of human life, 

Free from its error and its strife, 
Here lies Reuben Chase anchored; who stood 

The sea of ebbing life and flowing misery. 
He was not dandj^ rigged, his prudent eye 

Fore-saw and took a reef at fortune's quickest flow. 
He luffed and bore away to please mankind ; 

Yet duty urged him still to head the wind. 
Rumatic gusts at length his masts destroyed, 

Yet jury health awhile he yet enjoyed. 
Worn out with age and shattered head, 

At foot he struck and grounded on his bed. 
There careening thus he lay. 

His final bilge expecting every day. 
Heaven took his ballast from his dreary hold, - 

And left his body destitute of soul." 



56 The Glacier's Gift 

In 1774 a contingent from Nantucket removed to North 
Carolina. Of this party was a lady, Abigail Macy. She 
afterwards became the wife of Benjamin Stanton and 
removed with him to Ohio. Of this union was born the 
child who in time became the father of the celebrated war 
secretary, Edwin Macy Stanton. 

In the year 1765 there was born in Nantucket a child 
who, after arriving at manhood's estate, enjoyed the dis- 
tinction of the possession of the widest versatility of 
genius of any man ever born on the island. This was the 
Hon. Walter Folger. He was an entirely self-made man, 
so far as education is concerned, and became an expert in 
mathematics, astronomy, mechanics and law. He served 
four years in Congress, declining to accept more than a sec- 
ond term, declaring that he had done his share and that 
someone else must take his place. 

While a member of Congress he is said to have worn a 
suit of clothes which was strictly of home production. The 
sheep from whose backs the wool was taken were of his 
own flock, his wife spun the yarn and he wove the cloth 
on a loom made of wood which he also constructed, while 
the power was furnished by a windmill of his own inven- 
tion. This latter proved his inventive genius, as he had 
never had previous knowledge of a power loom. In speak- 
ing of his education, it may be said that he had the merest 
smattering pf even the branches taught in the schools of 
that early day ; but so determined was he to acquire knowl- 
edge that he studied every spare moment, even far into the 
night, and by so doing became proficient, not only in sur- 
veying and navigation, but mastered astronomy and French 
as well. At the very early age of twenty-two he began 
the construction of an astronomical clock which has never 
been duplicated and is now one of the most interesting 
relics to be found in Nantucket. It is the property of John 
B. Folger, grandson of the inventor, and fortunate indeed 



Gentlemen of the Old School 57 

is he who can gain admittance to view this truly wonderful 
piece of mechanism. 

The following description, taken from the New York 
Times, will enable one to realize to a certain degree the 
complexity of its construction : 

"John B. Folger, of Nantucket, is in possession of a clock of so 
marvellous construction as justly entitles it to a wide and admiring 
notoriety. It stands in the hallway of his home in Nantucket, in a 
tall wooden case, gracefully ticking the passing moments and hours, 
as it has done since the 4th of July, 1790, when it was first set in 
motion by its maker, Hon. Walter Folger, the grandfather of its 
present owner. 

But mere timekeeping is but a small part of its surprising capacity. 
In its metallic dial plate is a truncated elliptical slit, about 54 of an 
inch wide, in which daily circulates a bright golden ball, representing 
the sun, which daily rises at the eastern end of the slip and sets 
and disappears at the western end of it at the exact recorded almanac 
time ; the difference in the length of the days being regulated by a 
slide at the end of this roadway, which moved up or down by auto- 
matic machinery, according to the requisition of each day. The 
same machinery records also the sun's due place in the ecliptic. 
Outside this pathway of the sun is another similar slit, concentric 
to the first, in which the moon performs her daily and nightly 
journeys; indicating her southing and the time of full sea at 
Nantucket, and also the chief phenomena attendant upon the 
obliquitv of her path, the revolutions of her nodes, the hunter's 
and harvest moons ; and in one item, involving a recurrent motion 
of the machinery for a period of 18 years and some days. Near 
the top of the dial is another short slit, horizontal, where appears 
the date of the year, with such contrivance that exactly at mid- 
night of the day which closes up the year, the old figures are politely 
dismissed, or benevolently released from further service, and the 
necessary new ones take their place, ready to salute the awakening 
inmates of the house with 'A Happy New Year.' 

Not even is that all ; once in a hundred years there are century 
figures to be changed. And this also is duly provided for by a 
wheel so arranged as to revolve once in a hundred years, in the 
following manner: remaining motionless for ten years, then start- 
ing along one notch, and so on through ten notches until the 
century is complete." 



58 The Glacier's Gift 

The writer of the foregoing description finishes up in 
the following words : 

"In the lifetime of the maker, at twelve o'clock midnight, Decem- 
ber 31, 1799, three hoary and faded figures meekly withdrew, and 
three bright and beardless youngsters stepped briskly into their 
shoes, shouting "1800!" One of the best authentic instances of 
spontaneous generation. 

Walter Folger, the maker of this marvellous clock, mentally 
planned it at the age of 22, and submitting the plan to his father, 
himself a mathematical genius, was encouraged to undertake its 
construction ; with his own hands he made every part of it, and 
set it in operation in 1790, from which date it never failed him in 
its contemplated movements until his death, which occurred in 
1849. Since that time it has been once taken to pieces and cleaned ; 
and through the lack of the extraordinary knowledge and skill 
necessary to perfect readjustment, it now hesitates in the perform- 
ance of some of its former matchless feats." 

Another wonderful invention of this famous islander is 
the reflecting telescope, which he built at the age of fifty- 
four; with the aid of its powerful lenses he discovered 
spots on the planet Venus, which Herschel himself had 
failed to discern. This telescope, every part of which he 
made himself, is in the possession of the Nantucket Histori- 
cal Association and can be seen at their rooms in Fair Street. 

Mr. Folger invented a thermometer, but for some reason 
placed the bulb at the top instead of the bottom, as the 
ones of later date. Aside from the foregoing inventions 
he made scores of others, giviiig them away, declaring that 
he had no desire for money, as it might do him more 
injury than good. It is said of him that he taught his 
ideas to persons coming from a distance to learn of him, 
and he not only gave his time, but boarded them in his own 
home without any charge whatever while they were his 
pupils. 

That his wife did not fully appreciate his genius is proven 
by the following anecdote : On his return from Congress 




ASTKONOMICAl. CLOCK MAUK 1;V 
HON. WALTER hOLCER 



Gentlemen of the Old School 59 

one time, he and his wife went to spend the evening with 
friends, and while there, the news of his arrival home 
having reached the people of his town, many wishing to 
consult him on various matters had the temerity to call 
him out at different times during the evening. This so 
exasperated Mrs. Folger that, turning to her hostess, she 
remarked, with a great deal of asperity, "Ain't thee glad 
that thy husband isn't as smart as mine?" A doubtful 
compliment, yet showing that perhaps a less sought after 
person might have been a more congenial companion. 

Mr. Folger's public life embraced six years in the Massa- 
chusetts House of Representatives, six years as judge of 
common pleas, four years in Congress and the practice of 
law for all of twenty years. It had been said that he never 
lost a case, and while judge never had a case appealed 
from his decision. He finally gave up the practice of law, 
because he said his clients were not satisfied unless he lied 
for them and this he steadfastly refused to do. His 
uprightness of character was proverbial. The following 
notice of his death is taken from the Nantucket Inquirer 
under date of September 12, 1849: 

"Death: — On Saturday last (about 4 p. m.) Hon. Walter Fo!?rer, 
aged 84 years and 3 months (nearly). A gentleman of rare mechan- 
ical, mathematical and scientific talents, who at different periods of 
his life held various distinguished stations of trust and honor, the 
duties of which he fulfilled with ability and integrity."' 

In the hallway, close to the famous clock, hangs an oil 
painting of its still more famous inventor, keeping silent 
watch through the years which are still being registered 
by the faithful servant. 

As one of Nantucket's truly great, William Mitchell 
should receive more than passing notice, although space 
forbids little more, for to give him the credit really due 
him many pages should be devoted to recording his achieve- 



6o The Glacier's Gift 

ments. Perhaps the greatest eulogy might be expressed 
in the following sentence : He was the father of Maria 
Mitchell, than whom there has been no greater woman. 

William Mitchell was bom in Nantucket in the latter 
part of the eighteenth century. Owing to stress of cir- 
cumstances, caused by the Revolution and the threatened 
destruction of the whale fisheries, in which his father was 
interested, young Mitchell was prevented from taking up a 
course of studies in Harvard for which he had prepared 
himself. He became a teacher in his native town instead. 
In 1812 he married Lydia Coleman, a descendant of the 
earliest settlers of the island. While not possessed with 
an over-abundance of this world's goods, this couple were 
very happy in their home life. As a teacher Mr. Mitchell 
was successful, exerting a rare influence on all with whom 
he came in contact. All his pupils loved him for his gentle- 
ness of manner. He was kind to every living thing. Mr. 
Mitchell was the master of the first free school in Nan- 
tucket, which was established in 1827. 

He was an indulgent parent, his first thought being to 
satisfy the least desire on the part of his children. He was 
extremely fond of bright colors, which were prohibited by 
the Quaker faith, of which he was an adherent, but he 
solaced himself with the cultivation of gay colored flowers 
and gayly bound books. A story is told of the purchase 
of a piano by the family and, owing to the opposition of 
the Quakers to any musical instrument, it was stored in 
a nearby house. One day, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell being 
out to tea, the children, upheld by Maria, who, by the way, 
had assisted in the purchase of the same, had the instru- 
ment removed to their own house. Upon the arrival home 
of the parents someone was appointed to strike up a tune. 
The programme was carried out to the letter and when Mr. 
Mitchell heard the music and was given an account of 
the proceeding he simply said, "Play something lively now," 



Gentlemen of the Old School 6i 

and clasping hands with the dehghted children, danced 
gayly through the house. He was taken to task by the 
heads of the Meeting, but defended himself by the theory 
that every man's house is his castle, in which he may reign 
supreme, and carried the day without serious results. 
Although he was, strictly speaking, a scholar and scientist, 
he did not confine himself to study, but was a man of affairs, 
being secretary of the Phoenix Marine Insurance Company, 
cashier of the Pacific Bank, was one time president of the 
Atheneum Library and afterwards trustee of the same. He 
was also a member of the State Senate and one of Governor 
Briggs' Council. He served as chairman of the Harvard 
Observatory Committee and for a long time was one of 
the overseers of Harvard College. While all of his children 
were scholarly, only two of them followed the father's par- 
ticular line of science, Henry Mitchell, assistant in the 
Coast Survey and a man who was an acknowledged author- 
ity the world over, and Maria Mitchell, the astronomer. 

William Mitchell was entirely free from the erratic 
temperament displayed by so many scholars and never 
put any check on the pleasures of young people. 

On the death of his wife, which occurred in 1861, he 
removed to Lynn, where he resided until the election of 
his daughter, Maria, to the chair of Mathematical Astron- 
omy at Vassar. By special invitation of Matthew Vassar 
he went to that place and spent the remainder of his life, 
entering into rest in April, 1869, l^is demise being cause 
for wide-felt sorrow. He w^as brought back and laid to 
rest in his native sod. His whole life had been one of 
extreme purity and humility. He had been in touch with 
the greatest minds of the times, Herschel included. 

Another prominent son of Nantucket was the Hon. 
Charles J. Folger. He was born in the year 181 8. When 
but a boy he, with his parents, removed to Geneva, New 



62 The Glacier's Gift 

York. At the extremely early age of eighteen he was 
graduated from Hobart College, being admitted to the 
bar three years later. He immediately entered public life, 
his first appointment being that of judge of common pleas, 
followed by election as county judge in 1851, in which 
capacity he served four years. He went to the State 
Senate in 1861 and in 1869 became subtreasurer of the 
United States in New York City. He was made chief 
justice of the Court of Appeals in 1880 and secretary of 
the United States Treasury one year later, which position 
he held to the time of his death. In 1882 he was made 
the Republican candidate for governor of New York State, 
Grover Cleveland being his opponent. The result is well 
known, and it has been said that the failure of his party 
to support him in this campaign not only proved a death- 
blow to Judge Folger's political aspirations, but also affected 
his physical health to such a degree that he soon after 
passed away. He was acknowledged to be the ablest state 
senator since Seward's time and through all his political 
and public service never gave the least cause for reproach. 
He stood for what he considered right, regardless of all 
opposition and his home papers stated that he had never 
been classed as any man's man. That he was the brainiest, 
most capable and scholarly man of his time cannot but 
reflect lasting glory on the place of his birth. He died in 
1884. 

Another native of Nantucket, one who left the island 
at an early age and who is the father of a family of more 
than ordinary interest, is Samuel Weeks, now of Carthage, 
Missouri. His father, James Weeks, was an architect and 
builder, having erected one of the Friends' meetinghouses 
in Nantucket. James Weeks became a Quaker through 
the influence of Joseph Starbuck. When the boy Samuel 
was but twelve years of age he, with his parents, moved 



Gentlemen of the Old School 6^ 

to Georgetown, Illinois, where he grew to manhood. Here 
he met and married Sarah Price, daughter of Williamson 
Price, who was a member of one of the F. F. V., leaving 
the Old Dominion on account of his abolitionist tendencies. 
Of this union there were six children born, all of whom 
are still living, as are also the venerable parents, who but 
recently celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary. 
The eldest son, John M., was for years one of Missouri's 
leading politicians, being state representative, judge of the 
County Court, and county recorder of Jasper, the banner 
county of the greatest of all the states of the Middle West. 
Another son, W. M., is a man possessed of keen business 
insight and untiring energy wherever commercial enterprise 
is concerned. Francis M. has ever been acknowledged as 
leader in the business world. The fourth son, George, now 
of Denver, Colorado, is a graduate of Penn College, a 
Quaker institution in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and has done much 
efficient work along religious lines, having been for a num- 
ber of years a missionary in Central and South America. 
One daughter, Mrs. W. W. Green, is a woman of strong 
religious convictions, adhering to the tenets of the Quaker 
church, of which organization she is a faithful attendant 
and supporter. The last, but by no means the least impor- 
tant member of the Weeks family, is the daughter, Martha, 
wife of J. H. Haworth, a business man and wide-awake 
politician. Mrs. Haworth is a bright, capable woman, her- 
self the mother of two model sons. She is closely identi- 
fied with the religious life of her home town and is known 
far and near for her generosity and s}'mpathy for all who 
are in need. But that for which she should receive the 
highest encomium is her filial devotion to the aged parents, 
whose faces are turned toward the sunset ; always loving 
and kind, smoothing down the rough places in their path- 
way, she has proven her right to the promise of length 
of davs in the land v.diich the Lord has cfiven her. 



64 The Glacier's Gift 

That the foregoing is a complete Hst of the notable Nan- 
tucketers of later times is not by any means true. From 
the earliest times in the history of the island there have 
been restless flittings to all parts of the world. Nova 
Scotia received a colony from both Nantucket and Cape 
Cod. The history of the founding of Hudson, New York, 
is well known, and though this event occurred in 1783, 
there are many families bearing the old names still in the 
vicinity. A colony removed to Ohio in 1845 and from this 
contingent other Western states received a share. 

Nantucket was not so remote but that the infection of 
"gold fever" struck it with terrific force in 1849. Hun- 
dreds of men from the island sailed for California, and 
while very few met with any great success in their pursuit 
of the illusive dollar, yet their descendants have made 
good, in many instances representing the backbone of finan- 
cial enterprise. 



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CHAPTER VII 

The Dark Tenant of the Wild 

N speaking" of the Indians, of whom the white 
settlers obtained deeds of the land on which 
to settle, very little is known prior to 1641, 
owing to the fact that they kept no records, 
aside from various legends and myths which 
were handed down from one generation to 
another. While these make very pleasing 
additions to folklore, yet their true bearing on 
history is of very little value. Therefore, the origin of 
the Nantucket Indians and the length of time they inhabited 
the island prior to the coming of the white man are largely 
matters of speculation. Referring again to Norse history, 
however, it is said that in the year 1003 Thorvald landed 
on a headland which was known afterward as Cape Cod. 
This spot proved so attractive that Thorvald decided to 
settle there. On going ashore he and his crew saw what 
they supposed were three hillocks on the sandy shore. On 
nearer approach they found three canoes made of skin and 
each canoe sheltered three Indians, or Skraelings, as the 
Norsemen called them. In the skirmish which ensued, eight 
of the natives were killed ; the remaining one made his 
escape, to return later with a large contingent of his own 
tribe. They attacked Thorvald and his party, and although 
repulsed, gave Thorvald his mortal wound; the headland, 
which had been so attractive to him a few days previous, 
now became his sepulchre. If there were Indians on Cape 
Cod at that early date, it is highly credible that Nantucket 
was also inhabited by perhaps the same tribe or its tribu- 
taries. Some historians aver that the natives found by 
the white settlers of Nantucket were of the Natick tribe, 



66 The Glacier's Gift 

while others declare them to have been tributary to King 
Philip's Pokanoket tribe, which in turn belonged to the 
great Wampanoag family. 

A full discussion of the Indian question belongs to a 
more comprehensive article than space allows in this work. 
Macy has it, however, that there were something like 3,000 
on the island at the time of the arrival of the white settlers. 
This number was divided into different tribes or families, 
of which two at least seemed to predominate ; these two 
in turn were presided over by two chiefs or sachems, 
Wanackmamack and Nickanoose, who as head sachems 
claimed the original title to the land. It was from these 
same chiefs the English obtained deeds or conveyances, 
known as sachems' rights, and though perhaps of little 
value in so far as deeds go, yet the sachems guaranteed 
that the Indians would relinquish all claims and never 
afterwards seek to reclaim their rights, or in any way dis- 
turb the English in the possession of the same; and that 
the rights of the Indians were in turn recognized and pro- 
tected by the English Government is shown by the condi- 
tions which were attached to the Lovelace patent in 1671, 
namely : that the English were to purchase the land from 
the Indians and the Crown would then ratify and confirm 
these purchases. Although there came a time when the 
Indians petitioned for protection from the abuses of the set- 
tlers, yet when King Philip sought to induce the Nantucket 
tribes to join him in war, they declined, declaring them- 
selves to be at peace with their white neighbors; thus 
proving that whatever their grievances may have been, 
they were not of sufficient magnitude to cause any lasting 
malice or hatred. 

The liquor problem, even in those early days, became 
complex and difficult of solution ; and although it cannot 
be gainsaid that much of the criminality practiced by the 
Indians after their coming into contact with the white 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 67 

settlers was due to the influence of liquor, still there is no 
proof for the assertion often made that the general dis- 
satisfaction among the Indians was from this cause. It 
cannot truthfully be said that the English ever took advan- 
tage of their red brothers while they were under the influ- 
ence of strong drink. 

The primary cause of their unrest, was a failure to 
understand property transference. It seemed almost 
impossible for these people, who had perhaps for ages 
shifted from one part of the island to another and had 
roamed at will over its moors, free as the birds that rested 
here on their flight seaward, to realize that once they had 
signed away their rights to certain meadows and fields, 
they could never have use of them again. Although the 
sachems promised that the rights should never be ques- 
tioned concerning possession of the land, yet after the old 
sachems passed away, it seems that their heirs thought the 
land belonged to them, regardless of any transaction 
between the sachems and the white purchasers. But when 
the matter was brought before the court and the deeds 
examined, it was decided that said deeds were strictly legal 
and, therefore, the titles good. 

Another cause for much complaint was a seeming failure 
to place a proper estimate on the laws of the English 
settlers. The Indians would take a lashing without a 
murmur, but that they should be subject to fines for wrong- 
doing to the extent of giving up their horses and cattle, 
in lieu of money, seemed incomprehensible and no doubt 
reprehensible to them. 

There can be no question, after reading the records, 
that the early settlers treated the Indians with perfect 
justice; never inflicting punishment on them without just 
cause and provocation, and allowing them land for houses 
and planting, never rejecting or removing them from their 
homes. Even in the matter of whaling and fishing their 



68 The Glacier's Gift 

rights were recognized and regulated. When bodies of 
whales drifted ashore they were eagerly seized upon by 
the natives as rich prizes. The courts apportioned off 
different parts of these whales to different parties, that 
one might not have any advantage over another. In one 
instance, a complaint was registered by Massaquet against 
Eleazur Foulger for taking a whale away from the former. 
The trial was held before a jury, the verdict being rendered 
in favor of the plaintiff: the defendant was ordered to 
pay the sum of £4 for the whale. 

The following, which is taken from the records at the 
State House in Boston, goes to prove the fairness of the 
white tribunal : 

"1718, Nov. 17. Complaint received and read from the Indians 
of Nantucket importing that their English neighbors allow them 
but one-half price for their whaling: that they have pulled down 
the Indian's houses and built on their lands : that they plow across 
the Indians and plant in their land and take away their horses and 
cattle to prevent their plowing : that if the Indians sue the English 
the Judge, Jury, Sheriff and Clerk, are the defendants and praying 
that they may have equal and impartial trials, this being their 
fourth complaint. To the foregoing complaint, Joseph Coffin, 
representative from Nantucket, 'made answer and replication,' 
that as to what they allege of being paid one-half price for their 
service, they have no reason to complain, they being allowed 
according to the custom of the Island, one-half, the other being 
allowed for the boat and craft, which is in proportion as is 
allowed to white men : that they owe the English a great deal 
who have often housed and relieved them in their necessities : 
that the English have never pulled down their houses, but when 
they built upon the English land : that they have no other ground 
to complain of the English taking away their horses and cattle 
but their being impounded when they are taken in the English 
pastures; that titles of land between the English and Indians 
are never tried on the Island of Nantucket : that in all other causes 
between them, justice has been impartially administered, and they 
have often been favored in the judgment of their courts: that the 
English inhabitants are willing and desirous that the debts con- 
tracted by the Indians for the last five years may be fairly stated, 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 69 

and that if in the record of their courts or otherwise, anything 
unjust or unreasonable appears in their dealings, they shall be 
glad to be better regulated." 

Among the crimes committed and the fines imposed for 
the same, that of theft seems to predominate and the fines 
imposed very small indeed compared with the magnitude 
of the ofTence. For instance: housebreaking — sentenced 
to be whipped ; sheep-stealing — whipped ; for other thefts, 
a fine of twenty shillings imposed. It is said the death 
penalty was never inflicted for anything less than murder. 

Although there is no record of open resistance against 
the whites, or any attempts at massacre, as was true in 
nearly all the other New England colonies, yet an incident 
in the life of one of the women of the early times seems 
to fit in just at this place. The story runs as follows: A 
certain family had moved into a house which was still in 
the course of construction. The parents, with their two 
small children, occupied a sleeping-room on the lower floor, 
while the unfinished open attic was utilized by a young man 
relative. Early one morning the man of the house arose 
and went out to join a crew in a boat in quest of whales, 
leaving the other inmates asleep. Soon after he had left 
the house the woman was awakened by the sound of foot- 
steps on the floor above. Thinking that the young man 
was walking around, she called out to him to be careful, 
lest he fall through the opening in the floor. She had 
just ceased speaking when through the aperture an Indian 
dropped and began whetting his knife, declaring he was 
going to kill her. She was almost overcome with fright, 
but upon the Indian's announcing that the edge was sharp 
enough to do the work, she gave one leap toward the door, 
just escaping the grasp of the miscreant's hand, as he 
sought to lay hold of her arm. Racing wildly to the 
nearest house, and shrieking the word "Indian," the now 
thoroughly distracted woman fell in a faint on the door- 



70 The Glacier's Gift 

step. The neighbor, to whom she had fled for refuge, 
suspecting that something was amiss, repaired to the house 
at once, where he found the Indian in a maudHn condition. 
A basket just outside the door contained a bottle of Hquor, 
which accounted somewhat for the Indian's actions. The 
offender was arrested and placed in jail on the charge of 
plunder, after he had confessed that he had entered the 
house for that purpose only, his threat having been made 
as a means of ridding the house of its occupant. The 
unpleasant experience left such an impression upon the 
woman, however, that even in after years she could not 
recount it without a shiver of horror. 

A peculiar mode of punishment which the Indians 
inflicted upon their children is most interesting : The 
father of an incorrigible boy would get some bayberry 
root, scrape off a portion of the bark and place it in a bottle 
of water, where it was allowed to steep for a time ; then 
taking the lad in question and laying him on his back, 
holding his arms down by placing a knee on each one, and 
turning back his head by laying hold of his hair, the father, 
filling his mouth with the bayberry water, would proceed 
to squirt the liquid into the culprit's nostrils. This was 
repeated several times, until the victim was nearly strangled. 
After a while, however, he would recover, a wiser, though 
sadder child. This mode of punishment was called by the 
Indians "Medom-humar," or "great punishment." 

In 1763 a terrible scourge swept the island, depleting the 
Indian population to the number of 136. Thirty-four 
recovered, thirty-six escaped, eighteen were at sea, while 
the forty who lived among the whites escaped infection 
altogether, as did also the entire white population. In con- 
nection with this sickness it has been said that before its 
advent the waters around Nantucket abounded in bluefish, 
thirty of which would fill a barrel. In 1764, however, they 
disappeared, and this particular .species has never returned. 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 71 

Although the records abound with the misdemeanors and 
complaints of the Indians, but little is told of their religious 
fervor. Experience Mayhew, however, in 1727, wrote a 
most interesting book, entitled "Indian Converts: or Some 
Accounts of the Lives and Dying Speeches of a Consider- 
able Number of the Christianized Indians of Martha's 
Vineyard."' In the same volume Thomas Prince gives some 
idea of the work done by the Mayhews in the adjacent 
islands, as well. Excerpts from this volume must not be 
passed over as irrelevant, because they go to show an 
entirely different side of the Indian character from that 
generally known. The Indian is supposed by the casual 
observer to have been stoical and undemonstrative to a 
fault, but it is clearly shown that when the spiritual side 
of his nature was appealed to, he was as tender and emo- 
tional as his white brother. The first example cited by 
Experience Mayhew is that of Hiacoomes, who is known 
as the first Christian Indian and minister on the island of 
Martha's Vineyard. 

"This Hiacoomes was an Indian of Great Harbor, now Edgar- 
town, where a few English families first settled, in the year 1642. 

His descent was but mean, his speech but slow, and his counte- 
nance not very promising. He was therefore by the Indian 
Sachems, and others of their principal men, looked on as but a 
mean person, scarce worthy of their notice or regard. However, 
living near the English, some of them visited him in his wigwam, 
and were courteously entertained by him; these endeavored to 
discourse a little with him about the ways of the English, and the 
man seemed to harken to them, and in a little time began to 
pay them visits again, going frequently to some of their houses : 
And it was thought that he was trying to learn something of them 
that might be for his advantage. About the same time he went 
also to the English meeting, and observed what was done there. 

This was soon observed by the Reverend Mr. Thomas Mayhew, 
who was then minister to the few English inhabitants in that 
new plantation, and was at the same time contriving what might 
be done in order to the salvation of the miserable Indians about 



72 The Glacier's Gift 

him, whom he, with compassion, saw perishing for the lack of 
vision. 

But now, observing in this Hiacoomes a disposition to hear and 
receive instruction; observing also, that his countenance was grave 
and sober, he resolved to essay in the first place what he could 
do with him, and immediately took an opportunity to discourse 
him ; and finding encouragement to go on in his endeavors to 
instruct and enlighten him, he invited him to come to his house 
every Lord's Day evening, that so he might then more especially 
have a good opportunity to treat with him about the things of 
God, and open the mysteries of his Kingdom to him. 

Hiacoomes accepting this kind invitation, Mr. Mayhew used his 
utmost endeavors to enlighten him. And Hiacoomes seemed as 
eagerly to suck in the instructions given him, as if his heart had 
been prepared by God, and made good ground, in order to a due 
reception of his Word sown in if, and thus, as a new-born babe, 
desiring the sincere Milk of the Word, that he might grow thereby, 
he increased daily in knowledge and so far as could appear, grew 
in grace also." 

Experience Mayhew continues in his account of this man 
that the pawaws and sachems, hearing of Hiacoomes' attach- 
ment to the Englishmen and their reHgion, were very 
angry with him, and mahgned and mistreated him in every 
way, even to striking him "a grievous blow in the face." 
For this action Hiacoomes repaid them by saying: "One 
hand for the injuries and another hand for God ; whilst I 
receive wrong with the one, I lay the faster hold on God 
with the other." 

In the year 1643 ^ '^'^ry strange disease broke out among 
the Indians. They ran till exhausted, blacking their faces 
and snatching up weapons, as though to do harm to the 
English. The Indians attributed this calamity to the 
departure of some of their own people from the ways of 
heathenism and their own customs. 

"But Hiacoomes being built upon that foundation that standeth 
sure, and being one of those whom God had set apart for Him- 
self, and knew to be His, none of these things moved him; but 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 73 

the things he had heard and learned he held fast; And that he 
might be in a way to learn more than he had done, he now earnestly 
desired to learn to read ; and having a primer given him, he 
carried it about with him, till, by the help of such as were willing 
to instruct him, he attained the end for which he desired it." 

Through the influence of Hiacoomes, many of the most 
stubborn of the pawaws were converted. 

"For three years after his conversion, this good man only 
instructed his neighbors in private, as he had opportunity: but 
after they were prepared and disposed to give him public audience, 
with what zeal and boldness did he preach to them ! He then 
not only declared and opened the great mysteries of religion to 
them, as that of the Trinity, the Covenant of Works by God made 
with man, man's fall and apostasy by Adam's first transgression, 
and the wretched condition which mankind was thereby brought 
into, and the way of redemption, which God has in and by his 
Son Jesus Christ provided for them, etc. I say, he not only 
instructed them in these things, but boldly charged them with 
the sins and abominations in which they daily lived: especially 
with their worshipping of false gods, and adhering to Pawaws 
or wizards, and giving that honor to creatures that was due to 
Jehovah only." 

Hiacoomes hved to a great age, and although for several 
years previous to his death he was not able to speak pub- 
licly, yet he continued his ministrations and was considered 
by both English and Indians "A man of a very blameless 
conversation." "In his last sickness he breathed forth 
many pious expressions and gave good exhortations to all 
about him, and so went into eternal rest." 

It was not to the men only that religion appealed. Mr. 
Mayhew gives many instances of the remarkable experiences 
of both women and children, one example of each of which 
must suffice. "One Abigail, called by the Indians Amma- 
poo, was the daughter of a petty sachem of Holmes' Hole. 
She became the wife of one of the Indian ministers. She 
was taught to read while young, till by a scald in her face 



74 The Glacier's Gift 

she in a great measure lost her sight, within a few years 
after she was first married. She used, while her husband 
lived, to pray in the family, in his absence, and frequently 
gave good counsel to her children." In her last years, 
being left a widow, 

"she lived with her children, and used to pray with them, nnd 
frequently gave many good instructions to them. * * * * She 
prayed much at other times, * * * and delighted much in going 
to the House of God, and would scarce ever stay away from 
meeting, unless there was some very necessary occasion for it. 
* * * * She often spake of this world as none of our resting 
place, and of herself and others as strangers and pilgrims in it. 
But of Heaven she used to talk as a place of excellent Glory, 
where God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit dwell, and from 
whence the holy Angels come to minister to the saints on the 
earth, and to which they would at their death convey them. And 
of death she would sometime speak as the hand of God, by which 
his people were removed into a better place than the world is; 
and would also call it a ferryman, by which we have our passage 
out of this life into the next." 

At the time of her final illness, one of her daughters 
having watched long at her bedside, was entreated by her 
mother to lie down and get some rest. Fearing that death 
might come while she slept the daughter protested ; but 
Abigail was firm, saying that "God would take care of her." 
Instead of lying down, however, the daughter sat in the 
room with her eyes nearly closed. Suddenly she became 
aware of a great light shining in the room, outrivaling the 
brightness of the noonday sun ; "when looking up she saw 
two bright shining persons standing in white raiment at her 
mother's bed side, who, on her sight of them, with the light 
attending them, immediately disappeared. Upon saying 
something to her mother of what she had seen, the latter 
replied : 'This is what I said to you, God taketh care of me.' 
She also told another person, before she died, that her 
guardians were already come for her." Just before she 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 75 

departed this life she prayed earnestly for not only her 
children and friends, but also her enemies, and committing 
her soul into the hands of her Redeemer, she passed out of 
earth life to the one beyond. 

A most interesting example of early piety is given in 
the name of Bethia Tuphaus who died between the ages of 
three and four years. Her parents, being godly people, their 
conversations seem to have made a deep impression on their 
little daughter. When she was only three years old her 
father was taken seriously ill. Going into his room 
one day, her mother found Bethia on her knees at her 
father's bedside, speaking and praying to God. She first 
confessed her sins and unworthiness to speak to the Lord, 
and then proceeded to plead for her father's life, asking 
that if it were not God's will to spare him, that he would 
take him to himself, giving him life eternal. She then 
prayed for her small brothers and all little children, that 
God would extend his favor to them. While absent from 
home, being sent to her grandparents, her father passed 
away, and so deeply did she grieve for him that a sort of 
melancholy seemed to possess her, and in a short time she, 
too, sickened and died. On her deathbed she expressed 
great willingness to die and go to Heaven to be with God. 
Thus passed away one of the youngest examples of godly 
children. 

In order to show what the English did toward Christian- 
izing the Indians of Martha's Vineyard and adjacent 
islands, the following excerpts are taken from the writings 
of Thomas Prince, who in 1727 added to the book just 
mentioned, written by Mayhew, "some account of those Eng- 
lish ministers who have successively presided over the work 
of gospelizing the Indians of Martha's Vineyard and adja- 
cent islands." 

"The worthy collector of the foregoing instances having very 
well expressed his concern that God may have the glory of his 



76 The Glacier's Gift 

works of Grace upon that people, it must needs be very fitting 
there should now be some account of those more principal English 
instruments, which Heaven has been pleased to qualify and inspire 
with zeal for this difficult employment, and then to crown and 
honor with such remarkable success. And as the author happens 
to be restrained from publishing a just account of these, by his 
near relation to them, and his commendable modesty, it is but 
gratitude and justice that some other hand should now take the 
pen, and draw something of those worthy gentlemen, who have 
chiefly labored in this evangelick service, and by whose care and 
pains such happy fruits have sprung and grown. 

This I shall therefore, with all faithfulness and convenient 
brevity, endeavor, partly from several books and pamphlets pub- 
lished both in Old England and New, partly from two or three 
manuscripts of credit I have now in my hands, and partly from 
my own enquiries and informations of the living. 

Mr, Thomas Mayhew, senior, coming over as a merchant to 
the Massachusetts, in the early times of that plantation, and meet- 
ing with disappointments in his business, he first purchases a farm 
at Watertown, and applies himself to husbandry." 

Then follows a brief account of the procuring of the 
grant of Martha's Vineyard from Forrett; also the islands 
of Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands. Continuing, the 
author says: 

"In 1642, he sends Mr. Thomas Mayhew, junior, his only son, 
being then a young scholar about twenty-one years of age, with 
some other persons, to the Vineyard, where they settled at the 
east end; and quickly after the father followed, and became their 
Governor. But because the son appears to be the first that labored 
in the Indian service, on these islands, I shall therefore here begin 
with him. 

The Rev. Mr. Thomas Mayhew, junior, the only son of the 
worshipful Thomas Mayhew, Esq., was a young gentleman of 
liberal education, and of such repute for piety as well as natural 
and acquired gifts, having no small degree of knowledge in the 
Latin and Greek language, and being not wholly a stranger to 
Hebrew, that soon after their settlement on the Island, the new 
plantation called him to the ministry among them. But his English 
flock being then but small, the sphere was not large enough for 
so bright a star to move in. With great compassion, he beheld the 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 77 

wretched natives, who were then several thousands on those Islands, 
perishing in utter ignorance of the true God and eternal life, 
laboring under strange delusions, inchantments, and panick fears 
of devils, whom they most passionately worshipped, and in such 
a miserable case as those Eph. 2nd and 12th, 'Without Christ, 
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from 
the Covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in 
the world.' But God, who had ordained him an evangelist for the 
conversion of these Indian gentiles, stirred him up with an holy 
zeal and resolution, to labor their illumination and deliverance. 
He first endeavors to get acquainted with them, and then earnestly 
applies himself to learn their language. He treats them in a con- 
descending and friendly manner. He denies himself, and does his 
utmost to oblige and help them. He takes all occasions to insinuate 
and show the sincere and tender love and good will he bare them ; 
and as he grows in their acquaintance and affection, he proceeds 
to express his great concern and pity for their immortal souls. 
He tells them of their deplorable condition under the power of 
malicious devils, who not only kept them in ignorance of those 
earthly good things, which might render their lives in this world 
much more comfortable, but of those also, which might bring them 
to eternal happiness in the world to come; what a kind and mighty 
God the English served, and how the Indians might happily come 
into His favor and protection. The first Indian that embraced 
the motion of forsaking their false gods, and adoring the true 
one, was Hiacoomes, which was in the year 1643, an account of 
whom, we therefore have in the first of the foregoing examples. 
This Indian living near the English settlement, quickly grew into 
an acquaintance with them. And being a man of sober, thought- 
ful, and ingenuous spirit, he not only visited their houses, but also 
their public and religious meetings ; at which time Mr. Mayhew 
took particular notice of him, discoursed often with him, invited 
him to his house every Lord's Day evening, gave him a clear 
account of the nature, reasonableness, and importance of Christian 
faith, and quickly brought him to a firm and resolute adherence 
to it. Mr. Mayhew having gained Hiacoomes, he first employs 
him as a faithful instrument to prepare his way to the rest of 
the natives, instructing him more and more in this new religion. 
showing him how to recommend it to them, and to answer all 
their arguments and objections against it. And then in 1644, he 
proceeds to visit and discourse them himself, carrying a greater 
and more irresistible light and evidence with him. And whereas 



78 The Glaciers Gift 

at first he could not hope to be heard in public, he therefore 
begins to instruct them in a more private way, sometimes going 
to the houses of those he esteemed most rational and well qualified, 
and at other times treating with particular persons. And as Mr. 
Mayhew endeavored the good of these heathens, by discoursing 
with as many as were willing to have conference with him, so 
with Hiacoomes in particular, whom he from time to time directed 
to communicate the knowledge received to those that Mr. Mayhew 
could not so easily meet with. And thus they united their counsels, 
and wrought together, and by the blessing of God, soon gained 
some others. But that which especially favored the progress of 
religion among them, was a universal sickness, wherewith they 
were visited in the following year; wherein it was observed by 
the heathen Indians themselves, that those who hearkened to Mr. 
Mayhew's pious instructions did not taste so deeply of it, and 
Hiacoomes and his family in a manner nothing at all. This put 
the natives, who lived within six miles of the English, upon serious 
consideration about this matter, being much affected, that he who 
had professed the Christian religion, and had thereby exposed 
himself to much reproach and trouble, should receive more bless- 
ings than they: whereupon Myoxco the chief man of that place, 
and Towanquatick the Sagamore, with many others, sent for 
Hiacoomes, to tell them what he knew of the God which the English 
worshipped. At this very meeting, which was in 1646, Myoxco 
was happily enlightened, and turned to choose and acknowledge 
this God for his own; and Towanquatick, soon after, encouraged 
by some others, desired Mr. Mayhew to give them a public meet- 
ing, to make known to them the Word of God in their own tongue : 
and among other incitements, addressed him thus : — 'You shall be 
to us as one that stands by a running river, filling many vessels ; 
even so shall you fill us with everlasting knowledge.' So Mr. 
Mayhew undertook to give them a meeting once a month; but 
as soon as the first exercise was over, they desired it oftener 
than he could well attend; however once a fortnight was the settled 
course; and as this was the first public audience among them, so 
from hence, both Mr. Mayhew on week-days lecture, and Hiacoomes 
on the Sabbaths, were constantly heard in public, as long as they 
lived. However Mr. Mayhew here met with three very great 
obstacles; for, (i) : — Many strongly stood for their own meetings, 
ways, and customs, as being in their account, much more advan- 
tageous and agreeable than ours, wherein they have nothing but 
talking and praying, and this in a manner too still and sober for 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 79 

them. (2) : — Others alleged, that the Sagamores were generally 
against this new way. But the (3) and greatest of all was how 
they should come off from the Pawaws. This was the strongest 
cord that bound them; for the Pawaws, by their diabolical 
sorceries, kept them in the most slavish fear and subjection to 
them. There were about twelve at the meeting, who were halting 
between two opinions, and others only came to see and hear what 
was done : for though they had heard something of the one God 
of Heaven, yet such was their unspeakable darkness and bondage 
to sin and the Pawaws, that they durst not for fear desert them : 
and though a few were better enlightened, yet the natives round 
about stuck fast in their brutishness. The Sagamore Towanquatick 
was exceedingly maligned by them, and in 1647 his life was villian- 
ously attempted for his favoring the Christian religion; but his 
great deliverance with the due reflection on the villany, rather 
confirmed him in it; and inflamed him with the more active zeal 
to espouse, and assert it, and the meeting went on to the joy of 
some Indians, and the envy of the rest, who derided and scoffed 
at those who attended the lecture, and blasphemed the God whom 
they worshipped, which very much damped the spirits of some 
for a time in his ways, and hindered others from looking towards 
them. But Towanquatick and Hiacoomes were inspired with a 
wonderful courage and constancy: and in the following year had 
a general meeting of all that were inclined for Christianity, to 
confirm and assist one another in their abiding by it. This 
assembly was held in Mr. Mayhew's presence, and therein he tells 
us, that twelve of the young men went and took Sacochanimo, 
Towanquatick's eldest son by the hand, telling him they loved 
him, and would go with him in God's way, and the elder men 
encouraged them, and desired them never to forget these promises. 
And so after they had eaten, and sang part of a psalm in their 
own language, and Mr. Mayhew had prayed, they returned home 
with expressions of great joy and thankfulness. The next year 
there was a greater convention, wherein was a mixed multitude, 
both of infidel and Christian Indians, and those who were in 
doubt of Christianity; but Mr. Mayhew it seems, was not now 
present. In this assembly the dreadful power of the Pawaws was 
publicly debated, many asserting their power to hurt and kill, and 
alleging numerous instances that were evident and undoubted among 
them: and then some asking aloud, 'Who is there, that does not 
fear them?' others replied :— 'There is not a man that does not' 
Upon which Hiacoomes breaks forth, and boldly declares, that 



8o The Glacier's Gift 

though the Pawaws might hurt those who feared them, yet he 
beheved and trusted in the great God of Heaven and earth, and 
therefore all the Pawaws together could do him no harm, and 
he feared them not. At which they all exceedingly wondered, 
and expected some dreadful thing to befall him; but observing 
he remained unhurt, they began to esteem him happy in being 
delivered from their terrible power. Several of the assembly 
declared they now believed in the same God too, and would be 
afraid of the Pawaws no more; and desired Hiacoomes to tell 
them what this great God would have them to do, and what 
were the things that offended him; He immediately fell to prayer 
and preaching, and by a rare and happy invention, he readily dis- 
covered and mentioned forty-five or fifty sorts of sins committed 
among them, and as many contrary duties neglected; which so 
amazed and touched their consciences, that at the end of the 
meeting there were twenty-two Indians who resolved against those 
evils, and to walk with God, and attend his word, among whom 
was Momonequen, a son of one of the principal Indians, who 
sometime after became a preacher, and of whom we may read in 
the second example. And now in 1650, comes on the critical 
point of the credit and power of the Pawaws among them ; for 
Hiacoomes thus openly renouncing and protesting against the false 
gods he had worshipped, with all the Pawawas and their familiar 
ministers, and with an amazing courage, despising and defying 
their power, the Pawaws were greatly enraged, and threatened his 
utter destruction ; but to their own and their peoples surprise and 
confusion were unable to hurt him. Mr. Mayhew improves the 
advantage, and redoubles his diligence, is incessant in his pious 
endeavor ; and now that many are in doubt of their way, he offers 
to show them the right one; he spares not his body either by 
day, or by night. He readily travels and lodges in their smoky 
wigwams ; when he usually spends a great part of the night in 
relating the ancient stories of God in the scriptures, which were 
very surprising and entertaining to them, and in other discourse 
which he conceives most proper. He proposes such things to 
their consideration which he thinks firstly requisite ; he fairly solves 
their subtle objections, and tells them they might plainly see, it 
was purely in good will to them, from whom he could expect 
no reward, that he spent so much time and pains, and endured 
so much cold and wet, fatigue and trouble. But as God was pleased 
to animate, uphold and preserve him, so also quickly to give a 
growing success to his painful labors. For soon after, an Indian 



Tlie Dark Tenant of the Wild 81 

standing up at the lecture, confessed his sins, declared his repen- 
tance, and desire to forsake them and to go in God's way; and 
then going to Towanquatick, took him by the hand, and in his 
native simplicity, said, 'I love you, and do greatly desire to go 
along with you for God's sake.' The same, he said to some others ; 
and then coming to Mr. Mayhew, he said, : — 'I pray you to love 
me, and I do love you, and desire to go with you, for God's sake ;' 
upon which they received him with gladness of heart. After this, 
there came five men more; and by the end of the summer, there 
were thirty-nine Indian men of this meeting, who had not only 
the knowledge of the main points of religion, and professed their 
belief of them, but had also solemnly entered into a covenant to 
live agreeably to them. Beside the well-instructed and believing 
women, who were supposed to exceed the number of men, though 
they had not yet entered the covenant, Mr. Mayhew's way in public 
now is, by a lecture every fortnight, whereto both men, women 
and children come ; and first he prays, then preaches, then cate- 
chises, then sings a psalm, and all in their own language. After 
the sermon, he generally spends more time than in the sermon itself, 
in a more familiar reasoning with them. And every Saturday 
morning, he confers with Hiacoomes more privately about his 
subject matter of preaching to the natives on both parts of the 
following day; Mr. Mayhew directing him in the choice of his 
text, and in the management of it. About this time, viz, the end 
of the summer, the Rev. Mr. Henry Whitfield, pastor of the church 
at Guildford New England, in his voyage to Boston, in order to 
his return to England, happened to put in at the Vineyard, and 
to stay there ten days. There he tells us, he found a small plan- 
tation, and an English church gathered, whereof this Mr. Mayhew 
was pastor ; that he had attained a good understanding in the Indian 
tongue, could speak it well, and had laid the first foundation of 
the knowledge of Christ, among the natives there, by preaching, 
etc. Mr. Whitfield attends Mr. Mayhew to a more private Indian 
meeting, and the next day to the Indian lecture, where Mr. Mayhew 
preached, and then catechised the Indian children who answered 
readily and modestly in the principles of religion ; some of them 
answering in English, and others in the Indian tongue; and then 
Mr. Whitfield adds the following lines : — 'Thus having seen a short 
model of his way, and of the pains he took, I made some inquiry 
about Mr. Mayhew himself, and about his subsistence; because I 
saw but a small and slender appearance of outward conveniences 
of life in any comfortable way: The man himself was modest, 



82 The Glacier's Gift 

and I could get little from him ; but after, I understood from others 
how short things were with him, and how he was many times forced 
to labor with his own hands, having a wife and three small children 
who depended upon him to provide necessaries for them ; having 
not half so much yearly coming in, in a settled way, as an ordinary 
laborer gets there among them, yet he is cheerful amidst these 
straits, and none hear him complain. The truth is, he will not 
leave the work, in which his heart is engaged ; for on my knowl- 
edge, if he would have left the work, and employed himself 
otherwhere, he might have had a more competent and comfortable 
maintenance. I mention this the rather, because I have some hope, 
that some pious mind who reads this, might be inwardly moved 
to consider his condition and come to his succor, for his encourage- 
ment in this great work.' Thus Mr. Whitfield. But quickly after 
he left Mr. Mayhew, there happened a thing which amazed the 
whole Island, and turned to the great and speedy advancement of 
Christian religion. For it pleased God, who had drawn the Indians 
from the Pawaws to worship himself, whereat the Pawaws were 
greatly oftended ; yet now to persuade even two of themselves 
to run after those who sought him, and desire they might also 
go with them in the ways of that God whose name is Jehovah. 
They came very deeply convinced of the sins they had lived in, 
and especially Pawawing; revealing the diabolical mysteries and 
expressing the utmost repentance and detestation of them ; entreat- 
ing that God would have mercy upon them, pardon their sins, 
and teach them his ways, for Christ Jesus, His sake. And very 
affecting it was to Mr. Mayhew and all who were present, 'to 
see these poor naked sons of Adam, and slaves to the devil 
from birth, to come towards the Lord as they did, with their 
joints shaking and their bowels trembling; their spirits troubled, 
and their voices with much fervency uttering words of sore dis- 
pleasure against sin and Satan, which they had embraced from 
their childhood, with great delight. And now accounting it also 
their sin that they had not the knowledge of God, that they had 
served the devil, the great enemy of both God and man, and had 
been so hurtful in their lives; but j^et being thankful that through 
the mercy of God they had an opportunity to be delivered out 
of their dangerous condition.' The Christian Indians exceedingly 
rejoiced to see the Pawaws begin to turn from their wicked ways 
to the Lord ; and in a little time after, on a lecture day, at the 
close of the exercise, there were several more of the natives who 
expressed their desire to become the servants of the most high 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 83 

God, among whom was Tequanonim, another Pawaw of great 
esteem, and very notorious. And now indeed both the common 
Indians and the Pawaws themselves, began to observe and confess, 
that since the gospel had been preached to them, the Pawaws had 
been very much foiled in their diabolical essays ; and instead of 
curing as formerly, they now had rather killed many. At the 
same time there came pressing in about fifty Indians more in 
one day, desiring to join with the worshippers of God in his 
service, confessing their sins; some — those actual ones they had 
lived in, and others — the naughtiness of their hearts: desiring to 
be made better; and for this end, to attend on the word of God, 
and looking only to Christ for salvation. And upon this occasion, 
Mr. Mayhew observes, that they generally came in by families; 
the parents also bringing their children with them, saying: — 'I 
have brought my children too, I would have my children serve 
God, with us, I desire that this son and this daughter may worship 
Jehovah.' And if they could but speak, their parents would have 
them say something to show their willingness to serve the Lord : 
and when the Commandments were repeated, they all acknowledged 
them to be good, and made choice of Jehovah to be their God, 
promising by his help to walk according to his counsels. And 
when they were received by those that were before in this general 
Covenant, it was by loud voices, giving thanks to God that they 
were met together in the ways of Jehovah. This was all before 
the end of the year 1650. And by the midst of October 1651, 
there were one hundred and ninety-nine men, women and children, 
who had professed themselves to be worshippers of the great and 
ever-living God. * * * * On January nth, 1651-62 Mr. Mayhew 
set up a school to teach the natives to read, namely, the children 
and any young men who were willing to learn, whereof they were 
very glad : And as there quickly came in about thirty Indian 
children, he found them apt to learn ; and more were coming in 
every day. * * * * By the end of October 1652, there were two 
hundred and eighty-two Indians, not counting young children 
in the number, who were brought to renounce their false gods, 
devils and Pawaws. * * * * The praying Indians, (as the Chris- 
tianized Indians were commonly called,) being distinguished by 
this pious exercise, were constant attenders on the public worship; 
and even the barbarous Indians, both men and women, came often 
to Mr. Mayhew's lectures, bewailing their ignorance, disliking their 
sinful liberty, and seeking subjection to God, to be taught, governed 
and saved by him, for Jesus Christ's sake. * * * * While he 



84 The Glacier's Gift 

was laboring in this blessed work with indefatigable pains and 
difficulties, expecting no reward but from Him who said : — 'Go 
teach all nations. Lo, I am with you,' God was pleased to move 
the hearts of many good people in England, who had heard of 
the same, to advance a considerable sum, to encourage the propaga- 
tion of the Gospel among the New England Indians. And having 
seen so great a blessing on his painful labors, and seeing the spirit 
given to sundry Indians, with the gift of prophesying according 
to the promise made by Him who ascended on high, and gave 
gifts to men; having also an able godly Englishman, named Peter 
Foulger, employed in teaching the youth in reading, writing, and 
the principles of religion by catechising; being well-learned like- 
wise in the scriptures, and capable of helping them in religious 
matters." 

Mr. Prince now tells of the premature and tragic taking 
away of this Mr. Mayhew, Jr., in the thirty-seventh year 
of his age : 

"He intended a short voyage to England, to give a more particular 
account of the state of the Indians than he could well do by letters, 
and to pursue the most proper measures for the further advance- 
ment of religion among them. He accordingly took passage in a 
ship, with his wife's own brother, and with an Indian who was 
a preacher among the natives. But alas ! the mysterious ways of 
Providence ! Neither the ship, nor any of the passengers, were ever 
heard of more ! Thus came to an immature death, Mr. Mayhew, 
junior; who was so affectionately loved and esteemed of the 
Indians, that they could not easily bear his absence so far as 
Boston, before they longed for his return ; and for many years 
after his departure, he was seldom named, without tears." 

In speaking of Mr. Mayhew, Sr., Mr. Prince says: 

"While his son was with such success endeavoring to gospelize 
the natives, the father greatly favored and encouraged the work. 
and forwarded his son therein ; not only by affording his best 
advice, but also by laboring in a most prudent manner, with the 
Indian Sachems, to govern their people according to English laws, 
and at length submit to the authority of the Crown of England, 
and admit of such as were best qualified to assist them in govern- 
ment : By affording them his own help also, and so Avisely managing 



The Dark Tenant of the Wild 85 

aflfairs among them, that in a little while, he was most highly 
esteemed and reverenced by them, and even generally looked upon 
as both thir principal ruler and patron." 

This Mr. Mayhew seems to have been a man of great 
executive ability and possessed of much tact. He was at 
all times ready to hear the complaints of the Indians, and 
dispensed justice in the most impartial manner. Under 
his guidance the sachems themselves were brought to see 
the merit of the English government. In such high esteem 
did the Indians hold his religious authority, that when he 
had reached the advanced age of fourscore years they 
desired him to become their regular pastor. This great 
honor he was forced to decline, on account of his arduous 
duties in the government. He proposed that the Indians 
select from their own numbers two, who might act as 
pastors and religious advisers. This plan was accepted 
with much enthusiasm, and thereby Hiacoomes and Tacka- 
nash were duly ordained and installed. Under the influence 
of these Indian ministers many men, women and children 
were baptized and brought into the church of God. Mr. 
Mayhew was ever held in great reverence among them, 
and the praying Indians of both Martha's Vineyard a!id 
Nantucket looked upon him as "the great instrument of 
God" for their good. Even at the advanced age of ninety- 
three he gave them parting words of religious cheer. As 
his hour to depart this life was near at hand he called his 
grandson and great-grandson to his bedside, and laying his 
hands on their heads, blessed them and commended them 
to God's care ; thus his mantle passed to his descendants. 

The Rev. John Mayhew, the youngest son of Thomas 
Mayhew, Jr., now took up the work and was also much 
beloved by the praying Indians. So great was his faith in 
God that he expressed himself as having absolutely no fear 
of death, believing that all would be well with him, when 



86 The Glacier's Gift 

he should be called to depart hence. His final illness came 
in 1688, or 1689, yet he continued to exhort his followers 
and the members of his family to remain faithful to their 
trust, holding meetings at his bedside until the third of 
February, when he passed over the line at the extremely early 
age of thirty-seven years. He left a family of eight 
children, the eldest of whom being but sixteen years old. 
On this son, Experience Mayhew, descended the mantle 
of religious guardianship of the Indians. Some small idea 
of the magnitude of his work is gained by quoting from 
his own history of the experiences of the Indians, who 
through his teaching became free from the pawaws and 
other diabolical influences. In closing, it is most fitting 
to quote from Mr. Prince once more : 

"If I had leisure enough, and could think it a grateful thing to 
the public, I should be inclined to draw up a complete and regular 
history of the New England Indians, as far as it has come to our 
knowledge from the very beginning; — But doubtless what has been 
done above and before, will suffice. However, whether the world 
be informed and convinced or not, let those who labor even in 
the obscurest corners, still go on in their work, like their com- 
panions, the angels, invisible to the eyes of mortals, and receiving 
no personal praise or acknowledgment from them ; or like that 
great and affecting example of Mr. Mayhew, the Third. And 
the less honor they receive from men, in this life, they will doubtless 
have the more from God in the other. — The day will certainly 
come, when all their secret services to the Kingdom of Christ will 
be produced with themselves into the most public sight; they'll 
be applauded by him, the omniscient and most righteous judge 
in the face of the Universe, and He'll most openly honor and 
reward them with this, — 'Well done, good and faithful servant, 
enter into the joj"^ of your Lord.' Their honors will subsist and 
flourish universal forever, while the high but hollow applauses 
of many others on earth will entirely sink and vanish in eternal 
oblivion." 

Coming back to the Nantucket Indians, be it said to 
the everlasting reproach of the white settlers, that years 



Z 7-- 

o 2 



6 " 
n - 




The Dark Tenant of the Wild 87 

before any churches had been formed by the latter, pious 
Indians, under the influence of the Mayhews, had organ- 
ized churches for the natives. King PhiHp came to the 
island in vengeful pursuit of an Indian with whom he v/as 
angry. The crime for which Philip wished to punish him 
was that of speaking the name of the dead, a thing strictly 
forbidden by Indian custom. The whites sought to save 
the offender, and offered as his ransom the sum of £11 
sterling, all the money available at that time. This Indian, 
John Gibbs, whose Indian name was Assassamoogh, was 
educated in Harvard by the Mayhews and became a 
preacher. The first public building erected in Nantucket 
was a meetinghouse, for him to preach in to the Chris- 
tianized Indians. In 1674 there was a church of thirty 
members, of whom twenty were men, a somewhat different 
state of affairs from that which exists among the modern 
church societies. Three hundred Indians, young and old, 
prayed to God and kept the Sabbath. For nearly twenty- 
five years John Gibbs preached in the church of the 
converted Indians. In 1674 there were three praying towns. 
The children were all baptized, in spite of the opposition 
of the Quakers and other English Anabaptists, who 
attempted to prevent infant baptism among the Indians. 
Of the three churches, one was Baptist and two Congre- 
gational. The women were earnest workers, despite the 
fact that the numbers were two to one in favor of the men. 
The history of the red man is the same the world over. 
Civilization sounds the knell of doom to this peculiar type 
of humanity. The last full-blooded Indian on the island 
was Dorcas Honorable. She was born April 2^, 1776. 
Her father was Isaac Earop and her mother Sarah Tashima. 
Dorcas lived for years as domestic in the family of John 
Cartwright. In 1794 there were three wigwams on the 
island, the last of which, belonging to Abigail Fisher, was 
taken down in 1799. The last person on the island having 



88 The Glacier's Gift 

Indian blood in his veins was Abram Quary, or Quady, 
as he was sometimes called. He died November 25, 1854, 
at the age of eighty-two years and ten months, and with 
him passed the last of the tribe, the origin of which nothing 
is definitely known. 

"Sleep on, dark tenant of the wild, 
Great nature owns her simple child." 




CHAPTER VIII 

In the Olden, Golden Time 

O say of the early settlers of the island that they 
toiled not, neither did they spin, would be 
unjust, as the records show conclusively that 
milling was one of the earliest industries 
engaged in. In fact there are evidences of 
very crude and primitive mills having been in 
use long before the advent of the white man. 
This reference is made to the Indians' stone 
mills, which consisted of two large stones, one of which fitted 
into a cavity in the top of the other, and these rolling together 
crushed the grain sufficiently fine for the Indians' require- 
ments ; but one can easily see that these rude inventions would 
seem most impracticable to the ingenious English. The first 
mill built by the latter was a water mill and was erected in 
1666 at Wesco Pond, now known as Lily Pond, at that 
time a large lake covering some three acres. A ditch, of 
sufficient width to allow small vessels to sail in and anchor, 
conveyed water from the ocean, while the outlet was by 
the way of Brant Point. A dam was constructed near 
what is now known as Lily Street, which, giving way at 
one time, caused considerable damage. In 1672 Peter 
Folger was appointed by the town to operate the mill. 
For some reason this one was abandoned and another, which 
was run by wind power, erected in its place. Folger also 
attended this one, receiving as pay two quarts to every 
bushel of grain ground. This second mill was built by 
William Bunker. 

At one time there were four mills on what is now known 
Mill Hills. These were formerly called Popsquatchet 



as 
Hills. 



One of the island poets tells us that 



9° The Glacier's Gift 

"In Squam lived Sachem Nickanoose, 
And on Popsquatchet Hills 
The famous Warrior Autopscot 
Where stand our peaceful mills." 

Frederick Macy erected the first of these mills in 1723, 
constructing it after plans which came to him in his dreams. 
The timbers were of live-oak, taken from trees that grew 
in Dead Horse V^alley. The mill was in running order as 
late as 1820. In 1836, having become unfit for use, it was 
sold to the town, to be used as an experiment to prove 
the practicability of blowing up buildings in case of fire. 
A keg of gunpowder was placed beneath the foundation and 
set off, totally destroying the building. This test proved 
quite an event ; the children were dismissed from school 
and the townspeople turned out in general to witness the 
test. This mill stands on record as the "Barna Bunker 
Mill." 

The "Spider Mill" was built in 1759. This stood on 
what is now a part of Prospect Hill Cemetery and received 
its name from its peculiar construction. It had eight vanes, 
with lines that stretched from pole to pole, presenting a 
web-like appearance. It doesn't seem to have been a suc- 
cess, as it was blown up to make room for the fence around 
one part of the cemetery. Benjamin Whippey was miller 
here at one time. 

Another mill, situated on what was known as Brimstone 
Hill, was built in 1770. It was known by various names, 
such as "Red Mill," "Charles Bunker Mill," and the 
"Abisha Paddock Mill." Prince Gardner was the last 
owner and his son, Charles, tended it until 1867, when it 
was destroyed by lightning. 

The last mill built for the grinding of corn also bore 
numerous titles. It was built in 1802 and was known at 
that time as "Joe Chase's Mill." Eliphalet Paddock must 



In the Olden, Golden Time 91 

have had some interest in it at one time, as it was called 
by his name. Its most distinctive title and the one by 
which it stands in history is that of "The Round Top 
Grist Mill." It was distinguished from other mills by the 
peculiar shape of the roof from which it received its name, 
and by the absence of the heavy slanting tail that had been 
considered most necessary for turning the top around in 
order that the sails might fill from whatever direction the 
wind came. A wheel some twelve feet in diameter was 
attached to one side of the top, while through a groove 
in this wheel an endless rope, which reached to the ground, 
was run. When the vanes were set in motion this rope 
was untied from the block to which it was fastened when 
the mill was not in operation. So easily could the mill 
be started that it took no more than a slight push by the 
miller to get the vanes in motion. It is told that one time 
an assistant, being alone in the mill, pulled down on the 
wrong end of the endless rope, causing the vanes to revolve 
so rapidly that the stones in the hopper became so heated 
that there was danger of their igniting the timbers ; the 
miller became much excited, left the place and ran into the 
road screaming for help. A passerby ran up to the rope 
and grasping it tightly, pulled in the right direction, stop- 
ping the vanes before any damage was done. Captain 
Joseph Chase operated the mill until 1832 and at his death, 
which occurred in that year, his brother took possession. 
It passed through numerous hands until Captain Frederick 
Chase bought it of Captain John Pinkham. It was finally 
taken down in 1873, one of the millstones being used as 
a part of the foundation to the Soldiers' Monument in 
Main Street, while the other is still in use in a blacksmith's 
shop for putting tires on wagon wheels. The one in 
question is five feet in diameter and is supposed to weigh 
probably 3,800 pounds. The second stone weighed fully 
as much, in all probability. One can easily understand the 



92 The Glacier s Gift 

necessity for the extraordinary heavy timbers employed 
in the construction of the early mills. 

The sole surviving member of the quartette which once 
occupied Mill Hills was built in 1746 by a Mr. Willson for 
a Nantucket company, one-half for Eliakim Swain and one- 
half to John Hay. Eliakim Swain died in 1750, leaving 
his share of the mill to his son, Timothy, who bought Hay's 
share and took charge of the mill and operated it for a 
number of years, dying while on duty. It passed into 
the hands of the Swain heirs, and in 1828, on account of 
the extensive repairs needed, it was sold to Jared Gardner 
for the small sum of $20.00, to be taken down and used 
for fuel. Mr. Gardner, being a millwright himself, found 
the timbers substantially made of oak and concluded to 
make the repairs himself. He equipped it with vanes like 
the "Spider Mill," but this did not prove to be a success. 
It is said that during the War of the Revolution a cannon 
ball from an English man-of-war passed through the mill, 
closely grazing the miller's head; the mill being situated 
as it was on high ground, made it an easy target for the 
marine gunners. 

A story is told of a young lady who, with a party of 
friends, was watching the mighty vanes turn, took hold of 
one as it passed her and was quickly carried up into the air. 
The screams of her companions brought out the old miller 
who, in his excitement, stopped the mill at once, thus throw- 
ing the girl from the vane to the ground, giving her painful 
though not fatal injuries. It might almost seem that the 
thrilling scene in the recent play "The Red Mill," where 
the heroine makes her escape by clinging to the ponderous 
vanes, was taken from this incident. 

A cow chanced to come in contact with one of the mighty 
vanes and was instantly killed. 

The Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror of February 16, 1834, 
advertised 



J}i the Olden, Golden Time 93 

"A mill for sale : The subscriber offers the mill called Eastern 
Grain Mill, now occupied by him, for sale. Please call on Jared 
Gardner." 

Again, on June 23, 1840, it was advertised as follows: 
"East Mill in good repair, will be sold, if applied for, on accom- 
modation plan by subscriber, Jared Gardner." 

It now became the property of one George Enos, who 
retained it till 1864, when he sold it to Captain John Murray, 
and he in turn sold it to John Francis Sylvia in 1866. It 
seems that he was the last owner and miller. After his 
death it was put up to be sold at auction. The bidding 
was fast and furious, the successful bidder being Miss 
C. L. W. French of Boston, who became possessor of this 
interesting landmark for the sum of $850.00. Miss French, 
feeling that by rights of tradition and sentiment it should 
belong to the island, most generously presented it to the 
Nantucket Historical Association, who take great pride in 
keeping it in repair and exhibiting it to the summer people, 
of whom several thousands are said to make a pilgrimage 
to this relic of the past each year. 

In 1834 there was a mill erected for the combined pur- 
pose of grinding corn and sawing logs, also staves for oil 
casks, etc. This one was operated by Simeon Starbuck 
and Philip H. Folger. 

In 1875 Thomas Field erected a windmill on his house 
at North Liberty Street. The vanes were horizontal and 
are said to have worked nicely in certain winds. 

A clipping taken from a Nantucket paper bearing date 
of March 18, 1865, under the caption of "The Tide 
Turned," is of interest. 

"We have been so accustomed of late years to chronicle the 
removal of buildings from Nantucket, that we hardly know how 
to commence a paragraph giving information of one being brought 
here. Nevertheless we must make the record. An enterprising 
Portugene has purchased a grist mill at South Yarmouth and 



94 The Glacier's Gift 

brought it to the island. It will be erected on the hill in the lot 
known as the Samuel Meador lot, just Southwest of the dwelling 
house of the late Cyrus Hussey. This may be the beginning of 
the returning prosperity to the island so long predicted, and as 
such we welcome its arrival here." 

It is sad to relate that so far as prosperity returning, 
in the way of manufactories of any kind is concerned, 
there doesn't seem to be any immediate prospect at least. 
It is said that within the last century there were sufficient 
cereals raised on the island to keep five mills in operation, 
but at the present time there is very little grain raised. 

Of all the mills erected in Nantucket none are so inter- 
esting as the fulling mills of early date. The first one 
as erected at Wesco (now Lily) Pond, in 1666. This was 
destroyed by the dam giving way. Another one was built 
in its place in 1722. An incident is related "respecting 
the valley or gulley that leads from the Lily Pond" and 
is quite apropos at this place and serves to illustrate the 
serious consequences resulting often from very trivial acts: 

"Love Swain, wife of George (maiden name Paddock), when 
about eleven years of age, left the Jabez Bunker house, which stood 
on the spot where James Athearn's house stands, to go home 
to her father, who lived on the north side of the Lily Pond. 
She saw that the pond was very high, it being about sunset. 
There being no person passing at the time, she took a shell and 
dug a little gutter, to see the water run. Childlike, she thought 
no harm would come of it. 

It was a rising spot of land. There was a fort there, to guard 
against the Indians, in case of an attack, for sometimes they 
would threaten. It being Gardner's land, it was called Gardner's 
island. 

After digging the gutter, to form a running stream that she 
might step across, she went home. She did not mention the 
circumstance before she went to bed. In the morning she was 
aroused by an outcry from her father. She lay and listened. He 
looked from the window and said to his wife, 'Oh, what a wicked 
work is here!' 'What is it?' his wife asked. He replied, 'Some 
evil-minded person has let the Lily Pond out. It has washed away 



/// the Olden, Golden Time 95 

the sand and made a great gulley. The fulling mill is gone and 
the fences are torn up. Several small vessels, which lay in the 
creek, have met with damage. Some boats are stove to pieces, and a 
great deal of damage is done beside.' 

The little girl lay still, hearing this talk. She was greatly alarmed, 
for well she knew that she was the author of it all. She quivered 
and shook, almost to an ague fit. She reflected on it, and decided 
not to tell anyone about it. It remained a profound secret until 
she was eighty years old, near the close of life. Then she sent 
for some of her neighbors and related this occurrence, which had 
taken place seventy years before." 

A second fulling mill was erected at Mill Brook at the 
north end of Hummock Pond, at the west end of the 
island, in 1683. 

In 1741 Tristram Starbuck and Zaccheus Macy con- 
structed a fulling mill. 

In 1 66 1 Richard and John Gardner built a tide mill at 
the east end of Mill Brook. In 1673 they were employed 
by the town to build a fulling mill at Podpis (now Polpis). 
and in 1717 "Benjamin Swain was granted a stream of 
water to set up a fulling mill," but it seems that he failed 
to comply with the terms of the contract. A similar con- 
tract was awarded to Sylvanus Hussey and Stephen Coffin, 
Jr., in 1 72 1 and another to "Hussey (alone) so long as 
he shall maintain dam and supply town's deeds." 

In 1746 a contract was made with John Swain "and the 
town polled fifty pounds to erect this mill." 

A mill was built at Podpis Neck in 1763 and the town 
allowed John Swain the privilege of removing it to set 
it up near one which was in use in 1786, providing he 
would put them both in good repair at his own expense, 
for which he was to be allowed the use of them for seven 
years. Some histories have it that the last fulling mill 
was situated at Podpis Neck, but from good authority it 
is stated that the last one was moved from there to Podpis 
in 1786. The last one on record was one erected in Shaw- 



96 The Glacier's Gift 

keemo in 1770 and was in existence as late as 1828 or 
1830. A description of the working of the fulHng mills 
may be of interest to the younger generation, to whom 
the word is an empty name only. The following descrip- 
tions were given by those who remember well the appear- 
ance and purpose of these once numerous mills. 

In the early days there were many sheep raised on the 
island and from the wool cloth was manufactured on hand 
looms in the home. The cloth intended for men's wear 
was often four feet wide and very loosely woven. The 
next step in the process of manufacture would be to shrink 
the cloth to the width of a yard and this was done in the 
fulling mills, the following description being given by a 
woman who was employed in the mills on the mainland : 

"A bolt of cloth, say thirty yards long, was put into the fulling 
box and given a bath of soda, ash and soft soap. A belt was 
connected with the wooden pulley on the main shaft and the two 
fullers started a back and forward motion alternately, causing 
the cloth to turn over constantly. The fullers were made of hard 
pine about 2I/2 feet long, 2 feet high and one foot wide. The 
fulling room was 15 X 20 feet. In some mills there were large 
boxes with inlet and outlet of water for scouring the wool and 
also two large vats in brick work for dyeing wool. There was a 
large frame with a screw where a bolt of cloth was put in press. 
The legs of the fullers were perhaps ten feet tall. To get a shine 
on cloth made here they used to weave it pretty rough and shaggy 
in the looms, then sheared it in a machine, then into a heavy frame 
with heated iron plates between every few payers, then the mass 
of folds and iron plates, which were 2^ feet by i foot and 
Yz inch thick, were screwed down with a powerful screw with a 
bar or fulcrum, 8 feet long. The iron wheel turned partially in 
a trough or depression in the floor, as its diameter was double 
that of its wooden companion." 

Another description follows: 

"When the cloth was taken from the fullers all steaming it was 
folded over a large wooden peg attached to the fulling mill box, 
then it was carried out and hooked on the fainter bars, which were 



In the Olden, Golden Time 97 

built along the side of a lane near the mills, so it could dry- 
without wrinkles. When dry it was brought in and put in a 
shear, a machine with a long twisted knife, that took off all the 
fuzz and long wool or hair, then it was taken from that and put 
in a napper, a machine with a long brush, which brushed the nap 
on the cloth all one way. When taken from this it was put on 
a bench and folded with thick paper square mats the width of 
the cloth, then put into a press and screwed down as tightly as 
possible, left there two or three days, then taken out and folded 
over flat smooth boards, when it was ready for sale." 

In speaking of the manufacturing of cloth in those early 
days it has been said that 

"the fulling mills of the old days were of necessity crude, yet 
from the results of their work it would appear that they did 
their work well. The working parts were simple, consisting of 
large wooden pestles moved by wind or water, as best served. 
The pestles worked up and down in a wooden trough, into which 
the cloth to be fulled or shrunk was put, together with water, 
sometimes soap, fuller's earth or other substance that served 
in those days to cleanse. The cloth immersed was worked and 
pounded for about two days and then dried, often being passed 
between large wooden rollers, which served to straighten and 
smooth it. This process rendered the cloth thicker, firmer and 
warmer, enhanced its wearing qualities and in the heavy weaves 
made it almost felt-like." 

Most of the mills could be run by either wind or water 
power. There was a dam and sluice-way which carried 
the water into the wheel, in connection with the mill. The 
water wheel had a large shaft and at one end there was 
a wooden pulley connecting the mill with a bolt about 
fifteen feet long, while the mill itself would add about 
five feet. 

There was a spare room at the rear of the mill and 
all around, except next to the dam, thus making a building 
some twenty-five feet square, backed up to a milldam and 
floor several feet below the level of said dam. There was 
no style to the architecture of a fulling mill. They were 



98 The Glacier's Gift 

simply barnlike structures, while the size of the dam would 
be governed by the size of the pond, but none of these 
artificial ponds were large. In some cases the dams were 
thrown across a bank where there was a slight fall of 
water, usually in a swampy place, and frequently a dyke 
was constructed partially around the pond, to retain the 
water, though in most cases the natural banks were suf- 
ficient. In short, the outside appearance of the old time 
fulling mills were not greatly unlike the water power cot- 
ton mills to be found throughout all parts of New England 
at the present time. 

That the Nantucketers of the early days were busy 
people is shown by the fact that aside from the manufactur- 
ing of cloth, many other industries were carried on. At 
one time there was a rum distillery on the island, also 
brick kilns, one being located on Gull Island, back of Wesco 
(now Lily) Pond, another out by Water-comet, and one 
at the south part of the town, called the "Clay Pits," 
near "Goose Pond." There was also a brush factory 
located on Gay Street, where the High School now stands. 
All sorts of brushes were manufactured here from a tooth- 
brush to a long-handled broom. There were also candle 
factories, where candles were manufactured from the 
blubber of the whales, three hundred and eighty tons of 
candles, six candles to the pound, making a total of 
4,560,000, being the annual output of this commodity. 

In the whaling days shipbuilding was' quite an important 
industry, the yards being located on Brant Point. There 
were also a boot and shoe shop, a straw factory, which 
employed a number of young women, and another where 
mittens, stockings and various other useful articles were 
made. 

Perhaps the most important manufactories were those 
known as "rope walks," for the making of whale lines and 
ropes of all kinds, from the size of twine to the heavy four- 



In the Olden, Golden Time 99 

strand ship's hawser. At one time there were ten of these 
rope factories in operation on the island. A brief descrip- 
tion may not prove uninteresting. The rope walks were 
generally about four hundred feet in length and twelve feet 
wide. One end was only one story in height, containing 
several sliding shutters which were used in place of window 
blinds. The other section was two stories high, for the 
accommodation of the steam engine and large fly wheel. 
The length of the lines was sometimes sixty fathoms. In 
the process of rope-making, first, of course, was the spinning 
of the thread, which was made into a hank and this in turn 
was reeled on spools. These were placed up above on 
larger spools, some being two feet in length. In front of 
this rack was an iron plate filled with small holes and in 
front of the rack was a thirty-inch tube through which the 
strands passed. For an ordinary rope three strands were 
used, while for a ship's hawser four strands were necessary. 
Each strand of thread or yam came from separate spools, 
passing into the perforated iron plates, thence through the 
tube, which twisted them together, forming the rope. A 
track, resembling that of a railroad, was laid the entire 
length of the inside of the building. On this track ran a 
machine which was employed in making the large hawsers 
for whale ships. The machine, having a rotary motion, 
caught up the strands as they passed through the tube, twist- 
ing them around a block of wood having three grooves, 
broad at one end and pointed at the other. 

The hemp was stored in the second story, where it was 
carded. It was first whipped or flailed with a heavy block 
of wood which contained several pointed steel prongs, some- 
thing like the fingers of a hand. The hemp being in layers, 
it was thrown forward, then back, as in carding wool. 
The Russian hemp was of dark color and was, therefore, 
used for tarred ropes, yarns backstays or block straps. 
Manila hemp was of light color and used for ship's sails, 



loo The Glacier's Gift 

whale lines, etc. Whale lines were made of hemp selected 
for its strength. In fact, everything in the shape of rope, 
standing riggings, whale and tow lines, were manufactured 
in the rope walks. In the very early times, before the use 
of engines, the fly wheel was turned by hand. At what 
was known as the "Deacon Riddle Rope Walk," John 
Addington was foreman and Edwin James was engineer. 

A rope-maker's wage for sixteen hours a day was $i.oo 
and was said to have been the first money paid for labor 
in Nantucket. 

From the town records it is learned that on April 9, 1777, 
it was voted "That Benjamin Folger and Francis Joy may 
have the liberty to set Salt Works on Brant Point for twenty 
years, they paying a premium of one bushel of salt to the 
Proprietery for every one hundred bushels of salt by them 
made, they not improving more than two acres." It seems 
however, that this venture was not altogether successful, 
as the moisture incident to the heavy fogs, which were prev- 
alent in the summer, prevented as speedy evaporation as 
the business required. 

The following notice was published May i, 181 5 : 

"We, the subscribers, have taken the woolen factory belonging 
to Obed Mitchell adjoining New North Wharf, and inform our 
friends and the public, that we are well informed in the manufac- 
ture of wool and that we expect to devote ourselves to the carding 
of wool and dressing cloth for the public; we shall give strict 
attention to our employees and perform the business with dis- 
patch, as the regular stock of the factory will be subordinate to our 
customers, and we hope to perform in order, which will merit 
future favors of our employers. 

"Francis & Burdick." 

The industry that made Nantucket famous was the whale 
fishery, which began in the year 1690 in the very simple 
style of fishing from boats just ofif shore. A recent writer 
tells, in a most facetious manner, that in early times a whale 
squirted oil into the air and the natives caught it as it 



In the Olden, Golden Time loi 

descended, and that the whales were so tame that "they 
would come up to the shore and eat ginger snaps from the 
open hand." Although this is a somewhat overdrawn state- 
ment of affairs, yet the early records tell that the whales 
were so numerous close into shore that they attracted the 
attention of the settlers and, as none of them were seafaring 
men, they went to Cape Cod to procure the services of 
Ichabod Paddock for the purpose of teaching the islanders 
the art of whaHng. 

At first the shore was divided into districts or beats, of 
which there were four, and each of these was patrolled by 
six men, while the business was carried on in common. 
The first ship, the sloop Mary, twenty-five tons burden, was 
built in Boston in 1694 and was bought by Richard Gard- 
ner and his partners in Nantucket in 1698. At first the 
crews of the whaling craft were the owners, but as business 
increased and the boats assumed larger proportions, both 
white men and Indians were employed. In the matter of 
payment the "lay" system was employed, each man being 
paid according to his ability. Even the apprentice had his 
share, thus making each feel his responsibility, "instead of 
sharpening the wits by the use of the cat, so prevalent among 
European sailors." 

The first trust, or combine, was thus formed at this time. 
The whale fishermen soon had a corner on the whole indus- 
try, from boat-building to the cooperage. The workmen 
in all departments were stockholders and received a share 
in the proceeds in proportion to what each one had supplied. 
The industry increased so rapidly that in 1712 there were 
five sloops owned by the islanders and two years later the 
number had increased to nine, of which six were deep-sea 
going craft. In 1715 six hundred barrels of oil and eleven 
thousand pounds of bone were brought in, amounting to 
£1,100. By 1730 there were twenty-five whalers hailing 
from Nantucket, which brought into port oil and bone to the 



I02 The Glacier's Gift 

amount of £3,200. From coast fishing the Nantucket whalers 
became traders in foreign ports, and in fact were known as 
ship-owners and merchants over the whole business world. 
It was no boy's play to capture the leviathans, as great dex- 
terity was necessary in throwing the harpoon, for should 
there be a miss, with one lash of the mighty tail the boat 
would be crushed like an eggshell and the occupants, per- 
haps, drowned. A system of awards for efificient service 
was in vogue, pegs being given as medals. Very proud, 
indeed, was the young sailor who could display the largest 
number of pegs on his arrival home from a long cruise, and 
he was the envy of his less fortunate shipmates when, on 
attending a party or other public entertainment, the girls 
of the town lavished their best attentions on this hero of 
the briny deep. It has been said that the girls of Nantucket 
pledged themselves to marry no man until he had struck 
his whale. 

Leaving the home waters, the whalers cruised along the 
Gulf Stream, south to the Hatteras Grounds and on to the 
coast of Cuba. Turning about, they cruised north and east 
to the banks of Newfoundland and even to the Azores and 
Madeira Islands. In the year 1712 Captain Chris. Hussey, 
probably a son of one of the original purchasers, while in 
command of an open boat, was blown away to sea. All 
hands labored with all their strength to reach land, but this 
they failed to do. As they were drifting on the open sea, 
through the perils of a winter's storm, a school of sperm 
whales suddenly appeared. These men had seen but one 
whale of this variety, it having floated ashore dead. This 
find spelled bonanza, for sperm taken from the cavity in 
the head was considered of great medicinal value, being 
a sure cure for a great many diseases and having a market 
value of eight shillings an ounce. So elated were the storm- 
tossed mariners at their find that, defying the spume-crested 
waves and biting cold, they set chase and having killed a 
whale, the oil oozing from its carcass smoothed the sea and 



In the Olden, Golden Time 



103 



they rode out the gale in safety. This was the first sperm 
whale killed by Nantucketers. 

The following table will give some idea of the rapid pro- 
gress of the whale fishery in Nantucket. This industry 
originated in 1690 in boats from the shore. 

1 715 — 6 sloops of 2Z tons burden, obtained about 600 bbls. of oil 

and 11,000 lbs. bone, equal to i 1,100. 
1730 — 25 sail, from 38 to 50 tons, obtained annually about 3,700 

bbls., at £7 equal to £3,200. 
1748 — 60 sail, from 50 to 75 tons, obtained 11,250 bbls., at £14 

equal to £19,634. 
1756 — 80 sail, 75 tons, obtained 12,000 bbls., at £18 equal to £27,600. 
1768 — 70 sail, 75 tons, obtained 10,500 bbls., at £18 equal to £23,600. 
N. B. Ten sails were lost, part of which were taken by the 
French and the others foundered. 
1770 — 120 sail, from 75 to no tons, 18,000 bbls., at £40 equal to 

£100,000. 
From 1772 to 1775 — 150 sail, from 90 to 180 tons, upon coast of 

Guinea, Brazil and West Indies, obtained annually 30,000 bbls., 

which sold in the London market at £44 to £45, equal to 

£167,000. 
2,200 seamen employed in the fishery and 220 in London trade. 

The following is a list showing the number of whales 
caught ofif the shore around Nantucket in the spring of 
1726 and the names of the captains: 



John Swain 4 

Andrew Gardner 4 

Jonathan Coffin 4 

Paul Starbuck 4 

James Johnstone 5 

Clothier Pierce 3 

Sylvanus Hussey 2 

Nathan Coffin 4 

Peter Gardner 4 

William Gardner 2 

Abisha Folger 6 

Nathaniel Folger 4 

John Bunker i 

Shubael Folger 5 

Shubael Coffin 3 



Nathaniel Allen 3 

Edward Heath 4 

George Hussey 3 

Benjamin Gardner 3 

George Coffin i 

Richard Coffin i 

Nathaniel Paddock 2 

Joseph Gardner i 

Matthew Jenkins 3 

Bartlett Coffin 4 

Daniel Gould i 

Ebenezer Gardner 4 

Staples I 

86 



I04 The Glacier's Gift 

By 1746 whaling had concentrated in Nantucket, 10,000 
bbls. of oil being sent from there to Boston. Only three 
or four whales were caught off Cape Cod. The vessels 
were much enlarged by this time and were being fitted out 
to sail in foreign waters, going such distances that often 
four years would be spent on one voyage. Many sailed 
away from port with light hearts and keen anticipation, 
never to return, and while the widows left were sometimes 
inconsolable, it is worthy of note that one in particular saw 
fit to change her lonely condition and sought aid of the 
Legislature in her straits. Through the courtesy of one 
of Nantucket's ex-representatives, this incident is submitted : 

'"1724, November 24th, Petition of Dinah Coffin, of Nantucket, 
setting forth that her husband, Elisha Coffin, did on the 27th day 
of April, Anno Domini, 1722, sail from said island of Nantucket 
in a sloop, on a whaling trip, intending to return in a month or 
six weeks at most, and instantly a hard and dismal storm fol- 
lowed, which in all probability swallowed him and those with him 
up, for they were never since heard of. And your petitioner is 
by an act of this province hindered and restrained from marriage 
and thereby labors under the necessities of widowhood. Now, the 
prayer of your petitioner is that you graciously please to so far 
mitigate ye severity of that act that she may thereby alter her 
meaner circumstances.' (Note: Dinah Coffin was the daughter of 
Peleg Bunker and at this time a blooming widow of 19, who some 
three years previous had married Elisha Coffin, son of James. 
Her elder sister, Priscilla, at or about the same time, married his 
younger brother, Joshua, and both bridegrooms sailed shortly after- 
ward on the ill-fated sloop which was never heard from. The 
General Court promptly granted Dinah's petition and in one short 
month she laid aside the weeds of widowhood and altered her 
meaner circumstances by becoming the bride of James Williams. 
Priscilla subsequently married her cousin, Caleb Bunker, and 
became the ancestor of numerous descendants.)" 

That Nantucket had her part in events leading up to the 
Revolution is shown by the fact that two of the whale ships 
sailing to Uondon with cargoes of oil were engaged on their 



In the Olden, Golden Time 105 

return trip to carry tea to Boston. Upon arriving there 
they were greatly surprised at finding themselves to be 
guests of honor at the famous "Tea Party," the cargoes 
being promptly dispatched into the water. 

The first American whaling fleet to cross the Equator 
sailed under the leadership of Captain Uriah Bunker of 
Nantucket. This voyage resulted in the discovery of the 
"Brazil Banks" and the seal rookeries off Cape Horn. 

During the Revolutionary War Nantucket carried on the 
whaling trade, being the only port in America to do so at 
this particular period ; but owing to the loss of many of her 
vessels the industry declined. At the beginning of the war 
the island could boast of more than one hundred and fifty 
vessels, while at the close there remained but three or four 
shattered hulks. There were two hundred and two widows 
and two hundred and forty-two fatherless children. From 
this account one can see how severely Nantucket suffered 
during those troublous times. Although she was declared 
neutral, she did not adhere strictly to that position, thereby 
forfeiting the protection from the Tory commanders she 
might otherwise have demanded. Lying, as the island did, 
directly in the track of British cruisers, many of the whalers 
returning from far-ofif waters were captured and their crews 
sent to the prison ships, which were more to be dreaded than 
death. Others perished at sea in consequence of venturing 
in vessels made light with a view to fast sailing. 

In 1 78 1 a slight revival in the whale fishery was experi- 
enced. Admiral Digby, a British commander, gave Nan- 
tucket permits for twenty-four vessels to pursue whale fish- 
ing. Several of these vessels were captured by American 
privateers, but were invariably released in port. Nantucket 
petitioned to the state of Massachusetts in 1782 to confirm 
these privileges by legislation. This petition was under 
consideration when the news of peace arrived in 1783. 
Nantucket had been greatly depressed and this privilege had 



io6 The Glacier's Gift 

the effect of stimulating business activities. The resources 
of the island having been so depleted, it was with diffi- 
culty that the few vessels were fitted out under the permits. 
In 1784 the ship Bedford, Captain Mooers of Nantucket, 
had the honor of being the first vessel to carry the new 
flag of thirteen stripes to a British port. 

In 1785 it was considered necessary by Massachusetts to 
give bounties for the encouragement of the fishery, £5 per 
ton for white sperm oil, £3 for yellow and £2 for whale 
oil being offered. The first effect was propitious. Pro- 
visions had fallen in price so that outfits could be made 
economically, but the usual results from bounty-fed busi- 
ness followed in this instance. Many new parties having 
entered the pursuit, the increased quantity of oil found an 
unwilling market. Long privations had taught the people 
to avoid expensive oil and to make their own tallow light 
their homes. Even the lighthouses used substitutes for oil. 
Under these conditions crude sperm oil in 1786 fell to £24 
per ton and head matter to £45 a ton. About the year 1788 
there was an increase in the number of lighthouses and 
they were returning to their old system of lighting by sperm 
oil. This demand helped to raise prices. On the other 
hand, the catch of right whales had increased so much in 
the far-away seas that the market could not absorb the 
whalebone. One dollar per pound was a common price 
before the war and it now brought only ten cents. Nan- 
tucket was now fitting out as many vessels as her people 
could man for the chase. The Nantucket men were stim- 
ulated by the example of the China merchants, who were 
trading in the Pacific on the northwestern coast of America. 
A vessel had been fitted out in England during the war 
and manned by a Nantucket crew for the pursuit of whales 
in the Pacific. In 1789 the Ranger, Swain, master, returned 
to Nantucket from the Pacific with 1,000 bbls. of whale oil. 
Captain Swain thought no vessel would obtain so large a 



In the Olden, Golden Time 107 

cargo again, but in 1854 the Three Brothers brought 6,000 
bbls. whale oil, 179 bbls. sperm oil and 31,000 lbs. of bone 
into Nantucket. 

In 1 79 1 The Beaver, of 240 tons burden, Captain Worth, 
was regularly fitted and sailed from Nantucket to the 
Pacific. Her cost with outfit was $10,212. She carried 
seventeen men and could man three boats with five men 
each ; there were generally two blacks, either Indians or 
negroes, included in each boat's crew. When in actual 
pursuit of the fish two men remained as keepers of the ship. 
In her cargo she carried 400 bbls. with iron hoops and about 
1,400 bbls. with wooden hoops; 40 bbls. salt provisions, 3^^ 
tons bread, 30 bushels beans and peas, 1,000 pounds of rice, 
40 gals, molasses, 24 bbls. flour. These provisions lasted 
them her voyage, with the addition of 200 pounds of bread. 
It was known as the first voyage from Nantucket to the 
Pacific. After seventeen months' cruising she brought 
home 650 bbls. sperm oil worth £30 per ton, 370 bbls. 
head matter w^orth £60 per ton and 250 bbls. whale oil worth 
£15 per ton. Captain Worth gave an account of five vessels 
in the Pacific in February, 1793. 

Whaling now extending to the Pacific Ocean, the western 
coast of South America was found to be a profitable resort, 
the ship Washington, Captain Cofiin, having the distinction 
of being the first to hoist the "American flag in a Spanish 
Pacific port." In the early autumn of 1793 the Union left 
Nantucket, returning within a year with a prize cargo of 
over 1,200 barrels of oil. The Pacific abounded in sperm 
whales, of which the greater part of the cargoes consisted, 
although it was customary for the whalers, after rounding 
Cape Horn on the homeward voyage, to finish out the cargo 
with the less valuable oil of the right whale. Some of these 
voyages consumed only two years or less. 

Another setback to the industry was caused by the War 
of 1812. At this time nearly all the Nantucket whalers 



io8 The Glacier's Gift 

were off on voyages, but, hearing of the trouble, many of 
them returned to the island, while others put in at New Bed- 
ford and Boston. A number were captured by British 
cruisers, while those remaining in the Pacific fell a prey to 
the Peruvians, who laid claim to being allies of England till 
Captain David Porter, who afterwards was made admiral 
in command of the frigate Essex, succeeded in ridding the 
Pacific of both English and Peruvians. 

At the outbreak of the hostilities Nantucket had a whal- 
ing fleet numbering forty-six, but during the war she lost 
half of these, yet so energetic and tenacious were these enter- 
prising islanders that in 1820 they could boast of a fleet of 
seventy-two ships, aside from a number of smaller craft, 
such as sloops and brigs. Between this date and 1830 Nan- 
tucket enjoyed the height of her prosperity. Godfrey says 
of this period that 

"This town was third commercial town in the Commonwealth, — 
Boston, Salem, Nantucket. There were great congregations in the 
churches; then solid men sat in the pews on Sundays and Nan- 
tucket churches were built out of full pockets as well as full 
hearts. The Unitarians, had they been so minded, were rich enough 
to build their church of mahogany and gild it all over." 

Soon after this date a decline set in, and although for 
some years Nantucket returned her quota of whaling vessels, 
yet New Bedford superseded her as a whaling port. Then 
followed the introduction of lard oil and the discovery of 
petroleum; the supply of oils was greatly in excess of the 
demands. A great fire, which destroyed a million dollars 
worth of property, occurred in 1846 and finally the depletion 
of the male population, owing to the exodus to California in 
1849, resulted in the complete suspension of this once famous 
industry. 

In 1869 the last whale ship sailed out of port and with 
her departure the many industries incident to the whale 
fisheries gradually declined and the wharf, which had long 



In the Olden, Golden Time 109 

been the center of activity, became silent save for the sound 
of the restless waves which lapped ceaslessly against its 
foundations. And of that great fleet, whose sails had flown 
before the breezes of many seas and whose prows had 
touched at every port in the commercial world, there 
remained but the one, and of her it might well be said : 

"Then fell her straining topmasts, 

Hanging tangled in the shrouds, 
And her sails were loosened and lifted 

And blown away like clouds. 
And the masts, with all their rigging, 

Fell slowly, one by one, 
And the hulk dilated and vanished 

As a sea-mist in the sun !" 



CHAPTER IX 




The Lights Far Out at Sea 

EING, as we believe, predestined to become 
the guardian at the gateway of New England 
coast traffic, Nantucket must needs throw her 
lights far out over the waters. For this she 
is well equipped at the present, there being 
four lighthouses on the island proper and one 
at the extreme point of Coatue, known as the 
"Great Point Light." The history of the dif- 
ferent means employed to signal venturesome mariners 
from the earliest times is of much interest and worthy of 
note. 

The first beacons were primitive in the extreme, being 
nothing more than bonfires set on a hogshead at Brant 
Point. This was as early as 1700. An improvement over 
the bonfire method was that of setting a lantern on a 
hogshead, while later some inventive genius suggested the 
lanterns being hoisted on the end of a pole. 

The first lighthouse of which there is any record was 
that built at the Point in 1735. This was maintained by 
the merchants of the then town of Sherburne. The house 
was of wood and burned down soon after its completion. 
In 1746 the town meeting voted that 

"The town build a lighthouse at Brant Point; and that Abijah 
Folger, Zaccheus Macy and Richard Mitchell be a committee to get 
a lighthouse built at Brant Point and carry on that affair till the 
lighthouse be completed. Voted, that the aforesaid committee build 
such a lighthouse as stood heretofore, that was lately burned down." 

This one stood until 1758 or 1759, when it was burned, 
the fire originating from the lamps in the building. 
Another house was built immediately after and this one 



The Lights Far Out at Sea iii 

stood until blown down during a heavy gale in 1774. From 
the records the following is taken : 

"1774, June 17 — Whereas, the inhabitants of the island of Nan- 
tucket have at their own cost at different times erected three light- 
houses upon Brant Point; the first was destroyed by fire, the second 
by a violent gust of wind, the third now standing and absolutely 
necessary, but the burthen of maintaining ought in equity to be 
borne by the vessels receiving the advantage thereof. — Ordered that 
from and after the first day of August, 1774, all vessels of fifteen 
tons and upward coming in or going out by said lighthouse shall 
pay the sum of six shillings to the impost officer at the time of first 
going in or coming out and no further sum to be demanded of said 
vessel for the space of twelve months, the impost officers to pay the 
same to the selectmen of Sherburne to be applied for the main- 
tenance of said light." 

This house was also burnt in the fall of 1783, the loss 
being estimated at $1,000. 

The first lights were maintained by the merchants and 
shipowners, but later the town took possession and on 
June 23, 1795, Brant Point and lighthouse were ceded to 
the United States. It was not until 1856, however, that the 
present light was built. It is composed of brick and stone 
and contains a fixed light of the fourth order. It was in 
use until 1900, when a smaller wooden structure was 
erected down on the Point, as, after the jetties were con- 
structed, the old light was found to be out of range for 
the boats in the harbor. The first lighthouse is said to 
be in such a perfect state of preservation that should the 
time ever come that it should be used again, there will 
be very few repairs needed. 

The most important light on the island is that situated 
on Sankaty Head, on the outside of Nantucket, about a 
mile distant from Siasconsett. This house in composed of 
brick and stone and is seventy-five feet in height. It is 
fitted with a "Fresnal" light of the second order, and 
when in operation sends its rays a distance of nearly thirty 
miles. This lighthouse was built in 1850. Two other 



112 The Glacier's Gift 

lights are situated under the chff on North Beach, contain- 
ing Hghts of the reflecting order, one being red, the other 
white. These were first placed there in 1838 and are called 
the "bug lights." A stone tower containing a fixed white 
light of the third order is situated on Great Point, at the 
extreme end of the island. 

Besides the lighthouses, Nantucket can boast of as 
efficient life-saving service as any in the world. There are 
four stations at as many different points on the island. The 
oldest one, situated at Surfside, was established in 1874. 
Great Neck Station is about six miles from the town, while 
the others, one at Muskeget and the other at Coskata, can 
be reached by boat. The entire Atlantic coast is guarded 
by these life-saving stations, there being two hundred and 
seventy in the system, maintained at a cost of one and 
one-half millions per annum. In the early days wrecks 
were quite numerous, but of late there have been compara- 
tively few, owing, no doubt, to the vigilance exercised b}'' 
the crews at the stations. 

But one of the most distressing wrecks was that of the 
Newton, which occurred Christmas morning, 1865. This 
is recalled to the memory by an article in the Nantucket 
Inquirer and Mirror, of recent date, and is as follows : 

"Forty-four years ago this (Christmas) morning, occurred what 
has been chronicled as the most distressing wreck on the shores of 
Nantucket Island — the loss of the ship Newton, a craft of 699 tons, 
which sailed from New York for Hamburg two days previous. 
Every person on board the ship was lost and there are doubtless 
many of our readers who can vividly recall the harrowing incidents 
of that Christmas day over four decades ago, which filled the town 
of Nantucket with gloom. 

The wreck of the Newton followed closely upon that of the 
schooner Haynes, near Hummock Pond — two days before Christ- 
mas — which was also attended with terrible loss of life. The story 
of these two shipwrecks forty-four years ago this Christmas, was 
related in the columns of this paper on December 30, 1865, as 
follows : 



The Lights Far Out at Sea 113 

'On Saturday morning last, a vessel was discovered ashore at 
the south side of the island, a short distance east of the Hummock 
Pond. Parties at once repaired to the scene of the disaster, and 
found her to be a large schooner, with no signs of life on board. 
It is probable that the crew abandoned her at the time she struck, 
and perished in their eflforts to gain the shore. A sad sequel! 
On boarding her, she was found to be the schooner Haynes, of 
Boston, loaded with logwood. She ran ashore in the gale of Friday 
night. On Sunday forenoon following, the dead body of a man, 
about thirty years of age, was found upon the beach, immediately 
brought to town, and tenderly cared for. The feelings awakened by 
this unfortunate circumstance were gloomy, and great anxiety 
was expressed for the fate of others belonging to the stranded 

vessel. 

Information concerning the sorrowful affair was promptly for- 
warded to the agent in Boston, who arrived here on Tuesday last. 
He was deeply pained at the sight. The body that was picked up 
he identified as that of the steward. The loss of the captain, who 
was an estimable man, was a personal grief to the agent, as he had 
brought him up from a boy. The awful news he must break to the 
captain's wife, who, with Christmas gifts, awaited— who shall say 
how fondly and devotedly?— the return of her husband. And he 
who was found dead, ah, somewhere, in some heart, his name is 
cherished, and loved ones look for his coming in vain ! 

While the heavy gloom yet rested upon our minds, early in the 
forenoon of Monday last (Christmas morning, although bright 
with sunshine, brought little of merriment to our hearts), Francis 
Sylvia came into town with the report that a large vessel had gone 
to pieces on the south side of the island, eastward from Madeque- 
cham Pond, and that the shore was strewn with barrels of kero- 
sene oil. 

But one of the crew reached the beach alive. He was found 
about half a mile inland, naked, and had probably reached the shore 
by swimming and is supposed to have started for the nearest house, 
and perished on the way. He was a man of about twenty-five or 
thirty years of age, and on his right arm were the initials "J- K." 
marked with India ink, and on his left arm, "C. U." 

About noon, a life preserver was found, on which was painted, 
"Newton, Hamburg." By referring to New York papers, we find 
that the ship Newton, 699 tons. Captain Herting, cleared at New 
York on the 21st, for Hamburg. The following is the manifest of 
her cargo : 4,500 packages petroleum, 30 hhds. of bark, 18,000 staves, 



1 1 4 The Glacier's Gift 

463 bbls. rosin, and 40 tons of fustic. This is undoubtedly the 
vessel lost. 

On arriving at the beach, a scene of desolation presented itself, 
the like of which was never seen upon our shores before, and the 
nearest approach to which, within our recollection, was that of the 
unfortunate brig Packet, lost near the head of Miacomet Pond some- 
where about the year 1826, and from which but one man, the mate, 
was saved. 

The beach, for miles and miles to the eastward of the wreck, was 
covered with fragments, broken small, as though by the force of an 
explosion — which many persons seemed to think had occurred — and 
everything goes to favor such an opinion. Large spars were broken 
off short, and we noticed an iron truss, the size of a man's arm, 
broken off short as a pipestem. A large iron tank lay one or two 
hundred j'ards east of the wreck, thrown like a plaything, high upon 
the beach, by the waves. The breakers were filled with barrels of 
oil, fragments of broken barrels and other articles of which her 
cargo consisted, while the iron hull itself seemed to be crushed like 
an egg-shell into a shapeless mass. 

Many persons think the vessel must first have struck on the shoal 
"Old Man," and then driven over and drifted in; but a majority of 
our sea-going people think that the ship was steering an E.N.E. 
course, which the captain supposed would take him by the east end 
of the island, and that the ship did not strike anywhere until she 
brought up on our beach. 

It is estimated that about 2,200 barrels of kerosene, together with 
a quantity of fustic, staves, etc., have been saved. The portion of 
the cargo secured has been taken possession of by Peter Folger, 
wreck commissioner. 

Such terrible shipwreck and loss of life have no parallel in our 
island's history, since the loss of the prizes Queen and Sir Sidney 
Smith, near our shores, during the war of 1812-14. We remember 
the fate of the Earl of Egdenton, and the five who found a watery 
grave within sight of those on the beach ; but never before, nor 
since, has a calamity, so dreadful in details, visited our dangerous 
shores. Startling coincidence, that within twenty-four hours, two 
vessels should thus land upon our coast, and not a soul survive to 
tell the mournful story. 

Along the line of beach, stretching as far as Quidnet, dead bodies 
have been seen floating in the surf, and afterwards thrown upon the 
sand. We wonder not that the threatening reefs that lie outside of 
Nantucket, are a terror to the mariner. The wreck of the Central 



The Lights Far Out at Sea 115 

America, in mid-ocean, was not more frightful, the agony and dis- 
traction of those on board not more intense or thrilling, than the 
sad, sad experience of the ill-fated Newton. But the most heart- 
rending occurrence of all was the situation of that man who was 
discovered so far inland, with his face buried in the sand. We think 
of him as leaping into the cold sea, borne roughly to the beach by 
the wild surges. Pitiful, pitiful ! He stood upon the sheerless 
shore, his mind clouded with fearful memories, his naked body 
exposed to the chill night air. Perhaps he saw a light. Hope 
revived. Ah, poor man, too worn with superhuman exertions, every 
pore of his skin choking with the merciless blast that howled across 
our commons, he pressed toward the light, praying only for life and 
shelter ! But he could not reach it ; he fell on his face, and with 
no kind hand to lift him up, no voice to revive the spark of hope, 
he died. 

We have heard it suggested by many persons that hereafter, dur- 
ing the winter months, men be stationed in our humane houses ; that 
lights be kept burning, so that the shipwrecked, if alive, may see and 
be saved. Such a provision would undoubtedly have revived this 
man's life, and one life rescued would more than pay for the small 
outlay required to keep these houses open in the winter season. 

Among the articles washed ashore was a package of valuable 
correspondence, between the captain and his wife, written in the 
German language, dating from 1865 back to the year 1847, with let- 
ters from his little girl in the file. A few photographs and books 
were also picked up by some of our citizens. Since Monday, a num- 
ber of bodies have been taken from the surf — thirteen in all — and 
brought to town, ten of which, it is thought, belonged to the Newton. 

All were carefully placed in coffins and entombed in the Unitarian 
yard, and appropriate religious ceremonies will be observed over 
the remains of those to be buried. 

Our hearts now offer the tenderest sympathy to the surviving 
friends of these loved and lost. The grave has claimed their bodies, 
but Humanity drops tears for the bereaved and Memory will ever 
preserve the mournful record. To look upon the ocean, now, is 
but to recall the sweet, sad lines of the poet : 

"For men must work, and women must weep, 
And there's little to earn and many to keep, 
Tho' the harbor-bar be moaning !" 

Appropriate union funeral services, in respect to the memory of 
the deceased, were held in the Methodist church, on Sunday after- 
noon, at two o'clock. 



ii6 The Glaciers Gift 

P. S. — The agent of the Newton arrived here Thursday, and 
reports that the ship sailed from New York on Saturday, and that 
he, with the pilot, left her off Sandy Hook at noon of that day. 
The Newton was a new ship, this being only her second voyage. 
The crew consisted of twenty-one persons, all told. The female 
apparel picked up belonged to the captain's wife. She had been 
with him on previous occasions, and intended to accompany him on 
this voyage, but altered her mind and remained at Hamburg.' " 

Aside from being well supplied with lights and life-sav- 
ing service, to Nantucket belongs the honor of having been 
selected as the first post in America where wireless telegraph 
messages are both received and transmitted. This station 
was established in 1901 and is situated at Siasconsett, at the 
extreme southeastern point of the island. In June, 1910, 
Congress passed what is known as the "compulsory wire- 
less bill," which provides "that all vessels carrying more 
than fifty passengers and crew and plying on routes more 
than two hundred miles long must be equipped with wire- 
less telegraph." This bill added a marked increase of work 
for the operators at 'Sconsett, as, being situated where it 
is, this station is in touch with nearly all the outgoing and 
incoming Atlantic steamships. Excerpts from an interest- 
ing article on the subject by W. M. Thompson in the Boston 
Globe give a clear idea of the real meaning of wireless 
telegraphy : 

"Every ocean traveler by the great Atlantic ferry knows of the 
Siasconsett Station. Steamers are in touch with it from the time 
they clear New York harbor until their second day at sea, when 
outward bound, and come into its mysterious sphere when home- 
ward bound the day before reaching port. When their ship 'turns 
the corner, at South Shoal lightship, forty-six miles from the 
tip end of Nantucket, the passengers see the farthest outpost of 
their own country. 

The ships never come nearer the Siasconsett Station than forty-six 
miles; hence the operators at the station never expect to see a 
steamer in the blank waste of water seaward from their post. But 
the steamers are as much within their mental view as if they were 



The Lights Far Out at Sea 117 

actually in their physical range of vision. The marvel of the wireless 
makes the transference of thought from the little station at the end 
of the Nantucket moors to the wireless room on the ship forty-six 
miles at sea instantaneous. Space and forty-six miles of shoals 
make no difference in the closeness of the touch. 

The public is familiar with the Siasconsett Station through its 
great work in the Re[>nhlk disaster, January 23, 1909, when the 
C Q D signal from the sinking liner, followed by messages that 
grew weak and flickering as her fires went out and her power ceased, 
was picked up at the station and word was flashed from there to 
half a dozen ships, who rushed to aid. 

In all the excitement of the Republic disaster the station at Sias- 
consett worked steadily, the sole medium of communication between 
the rescuers and the shore. When the story of the marvelous service 
performed by the station first became known its operators were 
hailed as heroes. The wireless telegraph at that time was firmly 
placed on the pedestal of permanent success. Its experimental days 
ended with the picking up of the Republic's signal. 

Yet in the various accounts of how the station picked up the 
call for help and relayed it to other ships, there was very little 
in the way of description of the station itself. That it stood on 
the far end of Nantucket was known. But no pictures were printed 
to show how the station looked. 

Though the most important commercial wireless telegraph station 
in the country, that at Siasconsett is strikingly inconspicuous. It 
has no steel towers like that at Wellfleet, nor a great steel tube like 
the experimental station at Brant Rock, near Plyrnouth. Its two 
wood masts are 185 feet high. The towers at Wellfleet are 220 
feet, and the staff at Brant Rock 420. 

Between the two masts is the little telegraph house of one story, 
an insignificant building for the housing of such giant forces. 

There is a little office, with a telephone. Off this is the operating- 
room, with what appears to be a surprisingly small amount of 
apparatus. 

In the opposite end of the building is a kerosene engine, driving 
an electric generator. Both are of medium size. This and the 
two masts are the entire apparatus of the station ; a decided con- 
trast to the large amount of machinery of various sorts in the high- 
powered station of Professor R. A. Fessenden at Brant Rock. The 
difference in the two, the uninitiated will be told, is in the length of 
the wave employed in transmitting messages. The Siasconsett 
Station uses a wave of moderate length. The Brant Rock Station 



1 1 8 The Glacier's Gift 

uses an exceptionally long wave, to produce which high power is 
necessary. 

The neighborhood of the station is both striking and lonely. The 
station stands back nearly half a mile from the sea, behind the 
little village of Siasconsett, which screens it from the edge of the 
cliff, in a large tract of pasture land, sloping gently to the west. The 
sea is not in sight from it. About half a mile northeastward is 
the tower of Sankaty Head Light. About the same distance south- 
ward is the long stretch of beach ; but one must walk some little 
way from the station door to get a good glimpse of the shore in 
this direction. 

The situation is like that of the rolling prairie country of the 
central West, particularly when one looks westward over the undu- 
lating moors of treeless Nantucket. In the immediate foreground 
are the greens of a golf club. On one side runs the road to Nan- 
tucket town, eight miles away. Scattering dwellings of Siasconsett 
come upon the east to within a few hundred yards. 

Such is the stage setting of the little house of mystery in which 
the operator sits always at the instrument, an audiphone clamped 
to his ear, talking with ships at sea without ever seeing one of them, 
and his gaze resting, when he chances to look out of the window, 
on a scene that might be part of a landscape in Montana. 



When the mists and storms of winter wrap the lonely and almost 
deserted little village in their embrace Siasconsett is a lonely place 
for men trained in the outside world. The few fishermen there 
are not congenial company. The little train no longer puffs and 
jolts its daily way to Nantucket. 'Sconsett is physically cut off from 
the world. 

Yet the operator at his key in the little house, with the snow 
swirling about it and the wind making melancholy music in the guys 
of the masts beside it, has no time to be lonesome. 

He is bearing a part in the burden of the world's work. He is 
a new and important cog in the machinery of modern society. 

Assuming that it is a stormy winter's evening, one may catch a 
glimpse, through a typical incident, of the work done at Siasconsett. 

Up in town the actors who have had their hour on the Siascon- 
sett stage in summer are now busy 'making up' for their night's 
work. The audience is arriving. Outside the snow falls, on a 
street ablaze with lights. Taxicabs are dashing back and forth, 
filling the street. An auto and a taxi, skidding in the snow, crash 



The Lights Far Out at Sea 119 

together. A man is hurt, seriously, perhaps fatally. He is well 
known and rich. His family has left New York that day on the 
Maiirctania for Europe. They must be notified. The message is 
sent. The operator at lonely Siasconsett takes it from the land line 
and ticks it off on the snow-laden air. 

In less than an hour after the accident the family of the injured 
man, dashing through the wintry seas at thirty miles an hour 200 
miles from land, have received the news of the trouble and have 
made their plans to return by the next steamer. A message to this 
effect comes back out of the air and the sufferer is comforted. 

Such is the working of the wireless at Siasconsett. The opera- 
tor, always on the job, is the link between the land and the sea. 

Every kind of message sent over land wires, and some unknown 
before the wireless came in, are handled at Sianconsett. Love and 
death, marriage and birth, ambition, despair, philanthropy, villainy 
are subjects of the wireless dispatch. Some apparently simple mes- 
sage is in code, concealing a plot to rob a bank or destroy the good 
name of a woman. Others in plain language contain family secrets 
it would not be well for the sender to have known. 

The operator is a repository of secrets ; therefore every communi- 
cation is sacred. There can be no 'leak.' 

There is always some one on duty in the little wireless house at 
Siasconsett. 

There are three shifts a day. The first watch begins at midnight 
and lasts until 8 a. m. The next is to 5.30 p. m. and the man who 
comes on at that hour stays on duty until relieved at midnight. 

The busiest part of the day is the late afternoon and early evening. 
After the stock market has closed messages are sent to sea giving 
the closing, and on other business matters. Social messages are 
then numerous also, the day's work being done ashore, and social 
matters coming to the fore. 

Saturday is the station's busiest day. Several liners sail from New 
York on that day, and there are always three or four coming in. 
The station is always in touch with three or four steamers, while 
there may be ten or a dozen within its working radius, 240 miles. 
Unlike land telegraph, the wireless station can receive messages 
through only one operator at a time. Messages therefore must 
wait their turn. If six ships are in touch and each has ten messages, 
the sixty messages must be handled by one man ; whereas on a land 
line, working with four operators or one quadruplexed wire, fifteen 
messages could be received by each of four operators and the busi- 
ness cleaned up in one- fourth the time. 



I20 The Glacier's Gift 

If the Lusifania, for example, sends three messages, and has no 
more, the operator can notify the next ship with messages to send, 
and begin receiving from her. 

In this way the station may handle thirty or more messages an 
hour, although on continuous work a speed of thirty words a min- 
ute is attained. 

The cost of a wireless message from sea to New York or the 
reverse is $3.85 for ten words of text. The address and signature 
are not charged for. 

At this cost most of the messages are condensed to ten words. 
But there are times when press dispatches are being received, and 
that means thousands of words. 

The Siasconsett station handled its greatest amount of press mat- 
ter in a given time during the Republic disaster, when about 20,000 
words of 'press' passed through the station in thirty-six hours. 

It also had a tidy amount of press matter to handle when Colonel 
Roosevelt returned from his foreign trip on the Kaiserin Auguste 
Victoria. 

The ship came into touch with Siasconsett at 4 a. m.. and was 
in touch until i the next morning, when her business was taken on 
by the station at Sagaponack, L, I. 

The operator at Siasconsett knew when to expect the Kaiserin, and 
knew what to expect when she came into touch. He was not sur- 
prised, therefore, when at 4 a. m. 3,000 words of press matter began 
to come out of the air, telling of the colonel's movements, his state- 
ment that he would not talk politics, his hand-shaking in the steer- 
age, his married daughter's toying with a cigarette on deck and 
various other matters. 

Direct connection was obtained from Siasconsett by the cable to 
Wood's H'ole with the land lines, which connected up loops with 
the various newspaper offices taking the service. The Roosevelt 
press matter, therefore, was sent practically without interruption 
direct from the steamship at sea to the telegraph desks of the news- 
papers of Boston and New York. 

This service was the best illustration to date of the lavish use of 
the wireless by the press at a time when no emergency prompted 
its employment. 

Wireless telegraphy, like the old-fashioned kind, begets a fellow- 
ship between the operators that makes the work interesting. The 
operators at Siasconsett know the work of all the operators on the 
leading transatlantic ships. They can tell at once when there has 
been a change in the wireless room of a ship. The largest ships 



The Lights Far Out at Sea 



121 



carry the most expert operators, but even among the crackerjacks 
n the business there is a difference in style of sendmg U.at .notice- 
able to the trained ear of the expert at the rece.vmg instrument. 

™s sense of companionship makes the wireless operator mde- 
pend:nt of his surroundings while at -rk There are also other 
reasons why he is a self-contained person. There is a lure m the 
key "self that keeps the operator on the job in lonely Siasconsett 
when he might be working in some far more lively place. 

The wl^ole sea is his field of labor. There is a fascination in th 
thought ^at he can reach out through darkness and storm and pick 
out a sh P at sea, and on her cause to be deliyered to a passenger 
a message from his home on land. There is fascinaticn. too in he 
thought that he may come into touch at any time, through freak 

options, with a ship hundreds of miles beyond his normal spher. 

All the great armada of Atlantic liners are in a way the wards ot 
the wireless operator. He feels this, and the grip on his imagination 
is subtle and powerful. 

The signal for help, formerly C Q D, is now, by international 
a.reem nt S O S. This call has not yet been heard at Siasconse t, 
b^t rre is no assurance that it will not be; and when on du y 
the operator has his ear open every second for SOS. If it comes 
he may be depended on to act with decision. 

The famous RepMic call came in the rnorning, ^^out 60 clock 
Faint and flickering, it might have missed the ear of any but an 
alert operator. Catching it meant the saving of many lives. 
'Each' one of the 439 passengers saved from the RetutUcJ^ 
reason to consider Siasconsett a shrine to which he might with profit 
travel to give thanks for his preservation. 

Th viLr to the wireless station may be at loss to know how 
the operators keep track of the ships with which they are expected 

'^Te'tswer is simple. Every month the company operating the 
station issues in England a 'communication chart, showing all the 
sailings ol transatlantic ships for the month. • , ,., 

The ports of departure and arrival and the various wire ess sta- 
tions .L certain positions at sea are shown in heavy hori.onta line. 
Each date has a column representing twenty-four hours. A vessels 
S^^;!se is shown by a line drawn from the date of h- ^eParture 
starting on her port line, to the date of her arrival on the proper 
port line. 



122 The Glacier's Gift 

The crossing of the lines show the date and approximately the 
hour at which a vessel may be expected to come into the sphere of 
each wireless station. 

The chart looks complicated, with its many crossing lines. In 
practice its use is very simple, and by means of this chart, and the 
track chart showing the courses of steamers across the Atlantic, the 
wireless operators are able to keep track of every ship that crosses 
the Atlantic, knowing where each ship should be at every hour of 
the day during her passage. If the ships are making schedule time 
the operators know when they should be able to talk with each other 
and when they should go out of touch with each other." 

Not only from the island do the lights flash as the dark- 
ness gathers, but from the surrounding waters can be seen 
the twinkling rays cast from the lightships which rock and 
roll above the numerous shoals that lie hidden beneath the 
waves. From Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard to Nan- 
tucket the Sound is decked with myriad lights, even as the 
firmament is studded with stars. The more dangerous 
shoals are named and the attendant lightship is known 
thereby. The ones with which all travelers from the main- 
land are the most familiar are Cross Rip, Handkerchief, 
Hedge Fence, and Great Round shoals. The lesser rocks 
which might prove a menace to an incautious seaman are 
faithfully guarded by a bell buoy, whose tones float music- 
ally across the watery w-aste. As one sits and looks out 
over the harbor in the twilight of a summer evening and 
the lights begin to twinkle far away in the sea, the words 
of the old song insinuate themselves into one's musings : 

"Now, in the gloaming and the hush, 

All nature seems to dream; 
And silently and one by one 

The soft lights flit and gleam. 
I sit and watch them from the shore. 

Half lost in reverie, 
Till darkness hides the waves between, 

The lights far out at sea." 



CHAPTER X 




Here a Little and There a Little 

HAT Nantucket suffered greatly from the 
ravages of the enemy during the War of the 
Revolution has already been told. In the 
beginning the inhabitants of the island thought, 
as did some others in the Civil War, that the 
trouble would amount to very little and would 
soon blow over, but subsequent events proved 
what poor prophets they were in both cases. 
Upon receipt of the news of the Battle of Lexington busi- 
ness was immediately suspended and everyone seemed 
overcome with anxiety concerning the ultimate fate of the 
island. Many of the men were at sea on whaling voyages, 
others joined the Continental Army, while others went 
aboard the privateers which cruised along the coast. 
Twenty-one out of the one hundred and thirty-one which 
comprised the crew of the Ranger under John Paul Jones 
were Nantucket men. Wlialing being at a standstill, fishing 
from the shoals was undertaken, but owing to the high price 
and scarcity of salt this did not prove a successful venture. 
Indeed, they were put to severe stress because of a threat- 
ened famine of both food and fuel. At last small boats 
were run out as far as Connecticut, where salt and other 
necessities were obtained ; with these things and the bread- 
stuff raised on the island starvation was averted. Corn 
was $3.00 a bushel and flour $30.00 a barrel. The fuel 
famine was not to be feared so greatly because of the peat 
bogs and smaller trees of shrub oaks, cedar and juniper 
which grew further up the harbor near Coskata. A few 
of the more venturesome seamen undertook to run small 
craft out to the West Indies, where they obtained salt and 



124 The Glacier's Gift 

other produce, which, owing to the high prices then preva- 
lent, would have meant a lucrative business had not the 
English obtained possession of so many of the coast towns 
and patrolling the waters round about with privateers which 
intercepted the home-coming cargoes of the Nantucket 
sailors and, capturing the crews, ofttimes sent them to the 
prison ships, where many of them died from the privations 
to which they were subjected. A petition was sent in to 
the Massachusetts Bay Council, a copy of which was pub- 
lished in the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror of February i, 
1873, ^"d i"i-^"s as follows: 

"To the Honorable Council of the State of Massachusetts Bay. 
The petition of Edward Gray in behalf of William Rotch 
and others as per schedule annexed, merchants and inhabitants 
of Nantucket, — 
Humbly sheweth, That, by an act laying an embargo upon 
all shipping they are prevented procuring their Summer supply 
of salt, which is absolutely necessary for them to carry on their 
Fishery. The whale fishery, which was their dependence, being 
now entirely stopped they are obliged to recur to the Cod Fishery 
for a support, which cannot be carried on without salt and unless 
they have the liberty granted them to procure it they cannot 
subsist. — That the island, from the nature of its soil, is incapable 
of producing corn or other grain sufficient for one quarter of the 
inhabitants; that formerly they wholly depended upon Philadelphia, 
New York and Long Island for their supplies, which resources 
are now to be cut off. Unless they can procure corn, etc., they 
must be reduced to the greatest distress. — That previous to passing 
the act, Mr. Rotch had prepared a vessel ready to take on board 
a cargo he had already purchased, consisting of 10 M lumber, 
60 barrels pickled fish, 180 shook hogsheads and hoops for the 
voyage, all of which are now upon hand and if the Fish is not 
allowed to be exported it must inevitably spoil. — That Mr. Rotch 
had a large sum of money in the hands of a French merchant 
in Hispaniola, which if not speedily secured, will be wholly lost. 
All these reasons your petitioner humbly begs your Honor would 
take into consideration and grant liberty to the several to proceed 
their voyage and your Petitioner, as is Duty bound, will ever pray. 

Edward Gray. 



Here a Little and There a Little 125 

SCHEDULE. 

Owners' Names. Vessels and Names. 

William Roth Schoo. Nightingale 

Do. Sloop Sandwich 

Samuel Starbuck Brigg Katy 

Do. Sloop Dolphin 

Benj. Barney Schoo. Olive Branch 

Masters' Names. Where Bound. 

Jonathan Downes i— Hispaniola 

John Elkins 2— For Salt 

Joshua Gardner 3 — Do. 

Stephen Fish 4 — Do. 

David Paddock 5— Do. 

In Council, February 17, 1777. 
Read and Committed to the Committee on similar petitions. 

John Avery, Dep'y Sec'y. 
In Council, February 19, 1777. 

Read and ordered that the pra3-er of the above Petitioner 
be granted. 

State of Massachusetts Bay, 
Council Chamber, February 19th. 

To the Naval Officer for the Port of Nantucket. 

Permit the Schooner Nightingale, Jonathan Downes, Master ; 
the Sloop Sandwich, John Elkins, Master ; the Brigg Katy, Joseph 
Gardner, Master; the Sloop Dolphin, Steven Fish, Master; and 
the Schooner Olive Branch, David Paddock, Master, provided 
said vessels be wholly manned with Quakers, to take on board 
pickled fish and lumber and proceed on their said voyage to the 
French or Dutch West India islands, the masters of which giving 
bond that they will import in said vessels into this state West 
India Produce and Salt. The dangers of the enemy and seas 
excepted. 

By Order of Council." 

Sacking and burning of the town was threatened in 
1779, but the elements played an important part, as a 
storm forced the ships to stay at the Vineyard for several 
days, where negotiations were successfully carried on, the 



126 The Glacier's Gift 

British vessels returning to New York, leaving the island 
in security. Be it said to the credit of the British com- 
manders that this adventure was made without their con- 
sent. 

In April, 1779, about one hundred armed men landed, 
under the command of George Leonard, a Tory, and robbed 
the stores and business houses, leaving with a booty of 
"£10,665 — 13s — 4d (lawful)." That the General Court 
objected most strenuously to the islanders carrying on 
negotiations with the British is proven by an excerpt from 
the records of June 23, 1779: 

"It appearing by sundry intercepted letters that several inhabitants 
of the island of Nantucket have been discovered in a design to 
carry on a correspondence and trade in an unjustifiable manner 
with the British troops at Newport and New York, to the injury 
of the cause of the United States ; and the town of Sherburne 
as a town on said island appears in some measure guilty of violation 
of their fidelity to said United States by sending a committee to 
convey their memorial in an unwarrantable manner to the com- 
mander of the British troops at Newport and New York * * * * 
the said inhabitants are hereby strictly forbidden to send any 
memorial or have any communication with the enemies of these 
United States, without first obtaining leave of this General Court." 

Though the condition of the people was pitiable at the 
end of the war, yet with brave hearts they gathered up 
the broken threads of commerce and within a short time had 
engaged in whaling and other business pursuits with their 
usual ardor. It is stated on good authority that 1,600 
Nantucket men lost their lives during the Revolution. A 
recent writer says, "Without doubt Nantucket paid as 
dearly for the independence of the country as any place 
in the Union." 

The people had not fully recovered from the Revolution 
until mutterings and threats of another war became rife, 
to which the islanders turned a deaf ear. War was 
declared, however, in June, 181 2, and it seemed to these 



Here a Little and There a Little 127 

sturdy islanders that they were to have more than their 
share of suffering and privation. They sent a memorial 
to President Madison, seeking protection. This resulted 
in no relief whatsoever and in their extremity a committee 
was sent with a petition to the commander of the British 
fleet, Admiral Cochrane, asking- for a permit which would 
enable them to obtain supplies from the mainland. This 
permit was granted, providing that the people of the island 
should observe a strict neutrality and should not pay any 
"direct taxes or internal duties for the support of the 
United States Government." Some relief was obtained 
from this indulgence, but owing to the British privateers 
infesting the waters close at hand, it was almost suicide 
to try to run the blockade. At the news of the treaty of 
peace having been ratified the people went wild with joy. 
Business was once more resumed, but so heavily burdened 
was the island with the care of the poor and the heavy 
taxes levied, that it was a long time before any degree of 
prosperity was enjoyed. In fact, many of the families 
were forced to seek more favorable locations on the main- 
land. 

It may be safely stated that there is a greater amount 
of patriotism to the square inch in Nantucket than any 
other place on the globe. She gained the title of the 
"Banner town of the Commonwealth" by sending into the 
army and navy during the Civil War 339 men, this being 
"56 more than her quota." In Monument Square is a 
monument erected to the memory of seventy-four Nan- 
tucketers who gave their lives to their country, and no town 
in the United States can boast of more enthusiastic patriotic 
societies than the Nantucket G. A. R. and W. R. C. In 
speaking of patriotism, it seems that a few stanzas com- 
posed by a Nantucket woman in 1862 may not prove inap- 
propriate at this place. The composer, now a dear old 
lady, sat and dictated the lines with no hesitation whatever, 



128 The Glacier's Gift 

although they have never been pubHshed and years had 
passed since their last recital : 

"To our Father's God ascendeth, 
From this island of the sea, 
Prayers for all our brethren 
Laboring that our country may be free; 

That the spirit of oppression 

Shall yet stay its mighty hand 
For a mightier power's prevailing 

With the spirit of the land. 

And may every son and daughter, 

Loving liberty and God, 
Rise with unity of purpose, 

Labor for a great reward. 

If to save a glorious structure 
You may find a warrior's grave, 

Yet they live in future ages 
Who our noble union save. 

Wave, oh ! wave, our flag of freedom 

Till the world shall be no more 
And its brave supporters 

Gathered home on the eternal shore." 



It must not be assumed the islanders' lives were spent 
in war or rumors of war, for on the whole they led almost 
ideal existences in this highly favored retreat. From the 
first the settlers were given to pastoral pursuits, none of 
them being seafaring men. The land, which was held 
in common, furnished fine pasturage for sheep and in 1775 
there were over 15,000 head roaming over the commons. 
Of course these animals had to be sheared and the time set 
for this was the Monday nearest the twentieth of June, 
and was one great festival from start to finish. At one 
time there were so many sheep on the island that two 
shear-pens were necessary, one being near the western end 



Here a Little and There a Little 129 

of the island at Maxcy's Pond, while the other was located 
at Gibb's Pond, near the eastern end. As shearing time 
approached great preparations were made by the female 
contingent. The baking and brewing continued for several 
days previous to the event; then, with baskets packed to 
overflowing with cakes and pies and eatables of all descrip- 
tions, jugs filled with home-brewed cinnamon beer, the 
family would climb into the cart and away for the shear- 
pens. All other business was at a standstill, strangers often 
coming from the mainland to witness the washing and 
shearing. 

The sheep were first driven into a pen, which was near 
the pond; here they were caught and washed, then driven 
into the shear-pen, where they were held down and sheared. 
At the first shearing the sheep were often so wild that they 
resisted to the point of injuring the shearer. An expert 
was able to take off a fleece in ten minutes. After the 
sheep at the western pens had been disposed of the whole 
company repaired to the eastern district and the same per- 
formance was gone through. After the shearing was over 
came the real festivities. There were eating and drinking 
and dancing. The tailboard of a cart was sometimes taken 
off and two dancers would begin, using the board for a 
dance floor. A fiddler would play some lively tune and 
to this accompaniment they would sway and prance until 
the board would be completely demolished. Tents were put 
up over a plank platform for the general dance hall. It is 
said that one summer it was so cold in June that the shear- 
ing had to be deferred on account of the temperature of 
the water. The last shear-pen was situated at Miacomet 
Pond and 1847 witnessed the last shearing in the history 
of the island. The scarcity of feed and the depredations 
committed by the dogs that had become very numerous were 
the primary causes for the decline of this once lucrative 
industry. A legislative enactment of July, 1738, reads: 
9 



130 The Glacier's Gift 

"Whereas, much damage has been done by mischievous and 
unruly dogs in worrying and killing sheep and lambs on the island 
of Nantucket by reason of the great number of such dogs being 
kept by Indians as well as English inhabitants; 

It is made lawful for anyone to kill any dog and whoever shall 
presume to keep such dog shall forfeit £1 to be sued for and 
recovered by the major part of Selectmen of town of Sherburne. 
Act to remain in force five years." 

On April 25, 1772, the "Act concerning unruly dogs 
renewed." The evil not having been mitigated entirely, 
in 1797, March 3d, "The Act concerning unruly dogs made 
Perpetual." 

One often hears marvelous stories concerning fish, but 
some of those relating to the Nantucket sheep are equally 
incredible. Once upon a time, so the story goes, after an 
unusually heavy fall of snow, which was crusted over suf- 
ficiently hard to bear up a sleigh, two sheep owners started 
out to look up their flocks. Going up by the old mill 
they saw steam arising from under the crust and, on exam- 
ination, found the sheep huddled together under the snow. 
A number of the smaller ones had been trampled to death 
and the remaining ones were eating the wool from the dead 
ones. 

The sheep of early times were very gentle and if a door 
should be left open they would walk into the house without 
ceremony. It was almost impossible to raise a garden 
because they became so wise and alert that no ordinary 
fence would prevent their entering and destroying every- 
thing green in sight. One man who had taken great pride 
in his garden built a very high board fence around it, 
hoping by this means to keep the marauders from doing 
any damage. Imagine his dismay on rising one morning 
to find everything trampled into the ground. The queerest 
part of all was that the fence stood intact, not a board 
out of place, and no place visible where the sheep could 
have gained an entrance. The gardener decided to sit 



Here a Little and There a Little 131 

up the next night and watch. His vigil was soon rewarded, 
for through the dark he could make out the forms of an 
approaching flock. Several of the sheep lined up close 
to the fence, then the ones just in the rear sprang upon 
the backs of the first ones, the next in the rear jumped 
on to the ones in front of them, until the proper height 
having been reached, the sheep sprang nimbly over the 
fence and proceeded with their work of destruction. Tra- 
dition sayeth not whether they employed the same means 
to get out and one is led to wonder what sort of sign was 
used among the woolly miscreants in order for them to 
understand whose turn it was to get the "garden sass." 
The sheep are now gone from the moorlands and the trials 
and joys connected with them have been relegated to the 
storehouse of memory, in company with other relics of the 
golden past. 

It might be said of the first settlers that they had had a 
surfeit of religion as it was taught in the colonies, for 
Ewer says of the white population of the island that "up 
to 1704, for nearly half a century, the whites had no 
religious teacher and were without a church ; probably the 
solitary exception in New England." There were a few 
Baptists, Presbyterians and one or two Quakers, and as 
these latter have had a chapter to themselves, it is but fair 
to the other denominations that they should receive brief 
notice, to say the least. 

It is quite probable, although of that there is no positive 
proof, that the Congregationalists may have formed an 
organization on the island as early as did the Friends. It 
is simply a matter of tradition that the "Old North Vestry" 
was erected in 171 1, but it is safe to make the assertion 
that this society was formed no later than 1725, as it stands 
on record that about this time Mr. Timothy White began 
"preaching the Gospel at Nantucket." He was the first 
pastor, but was not an ordained minister. Rev. Dudley 



132 The Glacier's Gift 

says that Mr. White "served under the auspices of the 
Society for Propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts, as 
superintendent of the rehgious work among the Nantucket 
Indians, as a teacher of a private school and as a preacher 
to the congregation of the First Congregational Church." 
In 1765 the "Vestry" was moved from the site it had 
formerly occupied at the north of No Bottom Pond, to 
Beacon Hill, where it stood for a period of nearly seventy 
years on the site now occupied by the Congregational 
church, being moved back in 1834 to give place to the present 
edifice. It is now at the rear of the church, and while it 
was once the center of Nantucket's religious life it is now 
used as a Sunday-school room and vestry. The portraits 
of many noted speakers of both sexes adorn its walls. 

A Methodist society was formed in 1799, under the 
leadership of Jesse Lee, Joseph Snelling and George Canon. 

William Beauchamp was the first regular pastor, and 
while at first the meetings were held in the town hall, a 
church was built and dedicated on New Year's Day, 1800, 
and was distinguished by the undignified title of "Teazer." 
Many a Quaker was excommunicated for attending services 
at this meeting. 

The Second Congregational church, which is situated 
on Orange Street and is possessed of the gilded dome that 
stands a landmark for the entire island and contains the 
town clock and much storied Spanish bell, was built in 
1809, and now accommodates the Unitarian branch of the 
Congregational society. Rev. Dudley says of this church 
that "it was an offshoot from the First Church, started 
as a protest against the undue strictness and close surveil- 
lance exercised over its members by that church in the mat- 
ter of recreations and amusements, rather than a withdrawal 
on account of any wide divergence on the question of doc- 
trinal belief." The first pastor was the Rev. Seth F, Swift, 
and the present one is the Rev. John Snyder. 



Here a Little and There a Little 133 

In the year 1839 the first Baptist church was organized. 
Rev. Daniel Round, Jr., was its first pastor; the Rev. P. B. 
Covell being the present incumbent. 

The Protestant Episcopal church was organized in 1838, 
and a church was built in Broad Street. This was burned 
in 1846 and as the society was in debt the land was given 
over to creditors. 

In September, 1846, the organization was dissolved, to 
reform the same year. A church was built in Fair Street 
and dedicated in 1850. A magnificent stone edifice, a 
memorial presented to the parish by Miss C. L. W. French 
of Boston, occupies the site on which stood the former less 
pretentious church. Rev. E. L. Eustis is its present rector. 

The Roman Catholics held services on the island as early 
as 1849, the town hall being used for that purpose. There 
is now a strong organization of this sect in Nantucket, 
some of the wealthiest and most noted summer residents 
being regular communicants. 

It seems from a reading of the records that the early 
settlers were as tardy in regard to education as they were 
in organizing religious societies. While, no doubt, there 
was a certain amount of home teaching, yet it was not 
until 1716 that a regular master was employed, and this, 
the records state, was Eleazer Folger, who for his services 
for one year received the munificent sum of three pounds. 
From that time on educational methods must have continued 
in their primitive simplicity until 1827, when the first public 
school was established, despite vigorous protests from many 
of the inhabitants, who styled it a "charity school." So 
popular did the system become, however, that in less than 
half a century there were twelve of these schools in the 
various districts, employing thirty teachers, while the aggre- 
gate number of pupils was nearly twelve hundred. 

A contract was let in 1796 for the building of a school- 
house, the cost to be not over nine hundred dollars. 



134 The Glacier's Gift 

In 1838 the High School was estabHshed, with Cyrus 
Pierce as principal. This is situated on what is known 
as Academy Hill, the present structure being built in 1854. 

The Coffin School, now used in connection with the 
public school, was founded by Sir Isaac Coffin in 1827, 
for the descendants of the Tristram Coffin of early settle- 
ment fame. Admiral Coffin was a native of Boston and, 
after serving a number of years in the British Navy, the 
English Government presented him an estate situated at the 
mouth of the St. Lawrence River. 

On a visit to Nantucket he became so impressed with 
the number of kinsmen he found residing there that he 
felt impelled to do something that would not only be of 
lasting benefit to them, but would serve as a memorial 
to himself as well. This school is said to have cost him 
an earldom and nearly lost him his baronetcy, as it was 
reported in England that he had fitted out a vessel from 
his Lancasterian school, to make master mariners of them. 
This, of course, was looked upon by England with stern dis- 
favor and when his name was placed upon the king's list 
as a candidate for the peerage the ministers promptly 
rejected it "on the ground of his strong attachment to 
his native country." {Coffin.) 

Owing to the decline in both population and wealth the 
admiral's endowment of ^5,833 was found insufficient for 
its support. It was, therefore, closed in 1898, but in 1903 
it was opened up as a manual training school. 

On looking over some of the schoolbooks of the early 
days one comes across some very abstruse problems, several 
of which are well worth copying. 

"Question: What is reduction of numbers? Ans. Reduction 
teacheth to reduce or bring any sum of money, weight or measure 
from one denomination to another of equal value, in doing of 
which it is to be observed that if a great denomination is to be 
reduced to a small one it is done by multiplication ; but if a 



Here a Little and There a Little 135 

small denomination is to be brought to a great one it is performed 
by division." 

"i. — To reduce $ to cts. — place cyphers to right of $ and the 
work is done." 

"2. — The mean time of lunation, that is from new moon to new 
moon, is 29 da. 12 hr. 44 min. 3 sec. and a Julian year consists 
of 365 da. 6 hrs. I demand then, how many lunations are contained 
in 19 Julian years?" 

"3. — How many different ways can four common dies come 
up at one throw? 

Suppose one undertake to throw an ace at one throw with four 
common dies, what probability is there of his effecting it?" 

(By the last question four common dies can come up 1296 
different ways with and without the ace, and by a like computation 
they can come up 625 ways without the ace, therefore, there are 
671 ways wherein one or more of them may turn up an ace. 
Therefore, the undertaker has the better of the lay in the propor- 
tion of 671 to 625.) 

5 X 5 X 5 X 5 = 625 

1296 — 625 = 671 

1296 = 6X6X6X6 

The following definition for Writing was taken from 
an old copybook : 

"Writing is of all arts universally admitted to be that which 
is most useful to society. It is the soul of commerce, the picture 
of the past, the regulator of the future and the messenger of 
thought," 

It may truthfully be said that Nantucket can boast of 
as fine a school system as any in the state. This is proven 
by the enviable records made in the colleges by the boys 
and girls who have graduated from the home school. The 
High School is situated on an eminence from which much 
of the surrounding island can be seen. As one of the 
teachers remarked recently, "Every point within view has 
some historical significance." From one window the pupil 
may see the memorial tablet that marks the site of Abiah 
Folger's birthplace; from another the oldest house on the 



136 The Glacier's Gift 

island is visible ; while far over on the cliff stand two 
cottages built by the greatest mountain climbers in the 
world, Dr. and Mrs. Workman, and across over the moors 
are visible the few headstones that mark the spot where 

"Each in his narrow cell forever laid, 
The rude fore-fathers of the hamlet sleep." 

The interior of the school is well equipped for study; 
on the walls are hung the portraits of many famous men 
and women, while across the front of the assembly-room 
is draped the flag adopted by the school, a white back- 
ground with a blue whale spouting blood, thus forming 
and keeping our national colors of red, white and blue. 

One cannot but be impressed by the extreme courtesy 
and consideration shown by the school children to one who 
is fortunate enough to visit them in their school. Apropos 
of the recent graduation exercises, the following extract 
from the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror sums up the whole 
matter in a nutshell : 

"The account of the graduating exercises of the High School 
will be given by a competent reporter, but may I, as a former 
teacher still interested in the school, express the pleasure that the 
audience must have felt as they listened to the young people 
Wednesday evening? 

I would especially commend the fine voices in which the speakers 
gave their papers. The pitch and tone of the speaking voice are 
so often faulty in our schools that it is gratifying to know that 
our pupils are learning the art of good oratory. One other point 
I would mention : the simple becoming dress of the graduates. 

While our schools lead pupils to appreciate high ideals, we may 
all be hopeful, not only for the future of Nantucket, but for our 
whole country." 

It is a far reach from school to jail, but this interest- 
ing old building must be given some notice. One of the 
older inmates of the Asylum for the Poor has in his posses- 
sion a journal which contains the names of a number of 



Here a Little and There a Little 137 

criminals who have been "dropped," as the early settlers 
expressed it. The gallows stood on the ground now occu- 
pied by the Agricultural Society. Judging from the names 
it seems that some of them must have been Indians. The 
names and dates of execution follow : 

"Finch, hung in 1704; Sobo, in 1736; Jo Noby, 1730; Happy 
Comfort, 1739; John Comfort, 174S; Henry Inde, 1750; Thomas 
Ichabod, Joel Elica, Simeon Hens, Nathan Quibley, all in 1769." 

Aside from the foregoing there doesn't seem to be any 
record of very extreme evildoing. But certainly the jail, 
as it now appears, would not, as one writer has it, "stand 
a menace to the wrongdoer." It is a frame building and 
was erected in 1805. Its iron bars might be easily broken 
and it would not be a difficult matter to remove a part 
of the siding, were one in very desperate straits. The 
jailers of early times were quite lenient, according to tra- 
dition. One prisoner was allowed to take his constitutional 
each night with the provision that he would return at nine 
o'clock. One night he failed to get back until some time 
after the appointed hour, whereupon the jailer informed 
him that the next time he remained away so late he, the 
jailer, should lock the doors and go to bed, as he did not 
care to be kept up beyond his usual bedtime. 

Another criminal, whose sentence would prolong his 
incarceration until after the winter had set in, told the 
jailer that if he didn't fix the place so that it would be more 
comportable he would be obliged to leave before his term 
expired. 

A whole chapter might be devoted to the history of the 
village of Siasconsett, or "Sconsett," as the islanders call 
it, but space forbids more than a passing glance. The 
village is situated at the southeastern point of Nantucket 
Island and as early as 1758 was a fishing hamlet. It has 
now become famous as a summer resort and contains what 



138 The Glacier's Gift 

is known as the "Actors' Colony," a collection of bungalows 
built by theatrical people, who come to the island every 
summer to recuperate from their strenuous winter's engage- 
ments. Among the better known artists who reside here 
are Henrietta Grossman, Harry Woodruff, Digby Bell, and 
Julia Dean, about whom a clipping from a theatrical journal 
is taken : 

"Julia Dean, having supplemented her season's work with a 
month or. two at stock, runs away from the burning pavements 
to Siasconsett, the famous actors' colony on Nantucket Island. 
Miss Dean achieved local fame as a wit from her christening of 
the ante-Revolutionary cabin she took for the end of the season 
'"Notanybath," a title which caused an English visitor to say: 
'Notanybath? An Indian name, is it not?'" 

The village has its postoffice, tea houocs, several fine 
hotels, a golf course, casino and tennis courts. Its chief 
attraction, however, is its long stretch of sandy beach, 
where the most excellent surf bathing may be indulged in 
by all who enjoy the rougher water. 

Other villages on the island are Quidnet, which is nothing 
more than a cluster of fishermen's houses, with an occa- 
sional summer cottage ; Wauwniet, where excellent shore 
dinners may be procured ; and Polpis, of early milling fame. 

Visitors to the island and writers on the subject allude 
to Nantucket as being quaint. It may have been that in 
the days past and gone, when its houses were of "shingled, 
shangled, shongled and shungled" order, but in these days 
when the trend of architecture is a reversion to the colonial, 
Nantucket cannot longer hope to be conspicuous along these 
lines. The whistle of the ice plant and electric power 
house, the musical cadence of the locomotive bell as the 
train pulls out across the commons on a narrow gauge road, 
and the repeal of the curfew law, one and all bespeak the 
farewell to quaintness and herald the advent of extreme 
modernity. 



Here a Little and There a Little 139 

Each town and hamlet of older civilization contains its 
"characters" and Nantucket has ever been able to produce 
her quota. Other writers have given the town criers their 
meed of notoriety, and with Billy Clark, who "blew his 
lungs away," that type passed out of existence. 

Nantucket skippers w-ere supposed to be very acute in 
the knowledge of the sea and could tell where they were 
without the aid of the compass. The following lines by 
James Thomas Field will give the reader some idea of the 
methods employed : 

"Many a long, long year ago 

Nantucket skippers had a plan 
Of finding out, through 'lying low,' 

How near New York their schooners ran. 
They greased the lead before it fell 

And then by sounding through the night. 
Knowing the soil that stuck so well. 

They always guessed their reckoning right. 

A skipper gray, whose eyes were dim, 

Could tell, by tasting, just the spot. 
And so below he'd 'douse the glim,' 

After, of course, his 'something hot.' 
Snug in his berth, at eight o'clock 

This ancient skipper might be found, 
No matter how his craft would rock, 

He slept — for skippers' naps are sound. 

The watch on deck would now and then 
Run down and wake him with the lead; 

He'd up, and taste, and tell the man 
How many miles they went ahead. 

One night 'twas Jotham Marden's watch, 

A curious wag — the pedlar's son ; 
And so he mused (the wanton witch), 

'To-night I'll have a grain of fun. 
We're all a set of stupid fools 

To think the skipper knows by tasting. 
What ground he's on. Nantucket schools 

Don't teach such stuff, with all their basting.' 



140 The Glacier's Gift 

And so he took the well-greased lead 

And rubbed it o'er a box of earth 
That stood on deck — a parsnip bed, 

And then he sought the skipper's berth. 
'Where are we now, sir? Please to taste.' 

The skipper yawned, put out his tongue, 
And opened his eyes in wondrous haste, 

And then upon the floor he sprung! 

The skipper stormed, and tore his hair. 
Thrust on his boots and roared to Harden : 

'Nantucket's sunk and here we are 
Right over old Marm Hackett's garden.' " 

Perhaps no family on the island has been discussed as 
fully as the Newbegins. After the death of the parents 
the three sisters lived together about a mile from town. 
They were Quakers, but for years they only left their 
home to get provisions, etc. It is said that they used to 
keep chickens in the house, allowing them to lay their eggs, 
in the bureau drawers and even on the bed. In order to 
keep their potatoes from freezing they put them between 
the feather beds and slept on them. There was a large 
fireplace in the living-room and while a log was burning 
on one end the hens would roost on the other. For some 
reason no one was allowed to go upstairs. One of the 
sisters, Mary, made a weekly trip into town to get snuff. 
Whenever she came to a lamp-post she would go around it 
three times and when she stepped off a curbstone she would 
immediately step back again, then proceed on her way. 
All three sisters lived to a good old age and in their latter 
days were the objects of charity. Phebe died at the age of 
ninety-four, Mary at ninety-two and Anna at eighty-one. 

Mary Catherine Lee has immortalized this family in her 
entertaining story "An Island Plant." 

Nantucketers are all familiar with the character who ran 
all over the neighborhood to find a stepladder, as he wished 



Here a Little and There a Little 141 

to paper his walls and wanted to get the correct measure- 
ment for the border. 

It was told of this same person that his father, having 
been an ardent Democrat, was disappointed for years at 
not having had the privilege of seeing one of his favorites 
in the President's chair. Soon after his death Cleveland 
was elected and after the returns were all in the son was 
met coming from the cemetery with a lantern. On being 
accosted he explained that he had been up to tell his father 
that a Democrat had finally been elected. 

Another well-known character lived alone, save for his 
pets, a parrot, a cat and a crow\ On summer evenings he 
would sit on his steps playing a flute, the parrot perched 
on one shoulder and the crow on the other. The parrot 
was said to be quite a singer and the crow used to join 
in. Their favorite hymns were "When I can read my 
title clear" and "Jesus, my all, to Heaven has gone." 
When anything went wrong or was missing the cat was 
blamed for it. One day the master's glasses were not to 
be found. He took down a little twig, with which he used 
to whip his pets, and they both began to cry out "It was 
the cat," but when they saw that he was in earnest the 
crow flew into the garden and, going to a cabbage, picked 
up the glasses and walked back to his master with them. 

The place still has its characters, of whom many amusing 
things are told, for the people of Nantucket are possessed 
of a strong sense of humor and, though extremely dignified 
in their manners, it is not difficult for them to laugh. The 
following amusing account of changing the name of a 
street is given by a local paper : 

"The narrow rocky passageway leading from the schoolhouse 
grounds on Academy Hill to Lily Street commonly known as 'Break 
Neck Alley,' has been given the pleasing name of Sunset Pass and 
has an attractive signboard at its Lily Street entrance. If the pedes- 
trian who uses the alley does not keep both his head and heels under 
control, he is liable to see stars as well as the Sunset." 



142 The Glacier's Gift 

To see the people at their best and in order to place a 
true value upon them, one must go into their homes. Here 
one sees furnishings that would make an antiquarian turn 
green with envy; china and cut glass brought from across 
the seas, when the whalers returned from their voyages 
to foreign marts ; here a spoon, made for the first white 
child born on the island ; there a lacquered chest that con- 
tains a pound of tea brought from Japan over a half cen- 
tury ago, the aroma of which is still a delight to the nostrils 
of tea drinkers ; tall clocks of an earlier age stand ticking 
off the hours with as much accuracy and dignity as in 
days of yore; and then the four-posters of solid mahogany; 
and so one might run on indefinitely. But above all is 
the charm of the people ; hospitality is dispensed with 
lavish hands, even the tone of voice of one's hostess pro- 
claims her at once to be a real gentlewoman. How seldom 
the word is used nowadays. After a few weeks spent in 
this enchanting spot, the strident voices that greet one's 
ears on his return to the mainland almost set the nerves 
a-quiver. 

If the summer visitors think they can inspire the islanders 
with awe by the display of fine clothes and glitter of jewels, 
they would better spare themselves all effort in that direc- 
tion, because these things are of minor consideration in 
the eyes of the people who have been accustomed to luxury 
from their earliest recollections. 

Owing to the isolated situation of the island, the people 
have naturally had to fall back upon their own resources 
for amusement and pastime in the winter season. The 
Atheneum Library, with something near fifteen thousand 
volumes, its reading tables covered with the best and most 
recent current literature ; the "Alliance," a club conducive 
to the advancement of higher ideals of living ; the different 
church societies, and last, but not least, a wideawake 
woman's suffrage organization, — all these explain the high 



Here a Little and There a Little 143 

degree of culture possessed by the majority. Many of the 
older women have seen much of the world, having gone 
on long voyages with their husbands, in some cases children 
being born in the meantime. 

One of Nantucket's grandames comes to mind, — a 
real gentlewoman she is and, although eighty years of age, 
her eyes are as bright and her mind as alert as though 
she were many years younger. Her life has been full 
indeed. Not of Nantucket birth, however, she married 
at an early age one of the direct descendants of Tristram 
and Dionis Coffin of early fame. The twenty-first of May, 
1849, as a bride she accompanied her husband to California, 
going all the way by water. For some years she traveled 
extensively, going to Rio Janiero, Cape Verde Islands, 
Tahiti and other South Pacific islands. She was in San 
Francisco when California was declared a free state and 
at one time was in South America when an epidemic of 
yellow fever raged, and although many Nantucket crews 
succumbed to this dreadful scourge, yet the heroine of this 
sketch escaped infection altogether. After children began 
coming into the family it was decided to return to Nan- 
tucket to remain permanently, and now came the tragedy 
that ended what had promised to be an ideal home. The 
husband sailed away with all assurances of a speedy return, 
but when the sails of that ship passed beyond the horizon, 
they were seen no more and through all the weary years 
the widow struggled on, rearing her family of six father- 
less bairns to years of maturity, and all lived to do her 
great credit. Regardless of the tragic ending of the 
father's life, the boys all chose the sea, while two of the 
daughters married lighthouse keepers, the call of old ocean 
proving irresistible to them all. For over fifty years our 
heroine has lived in the one house, the latchstring of which 
is ever out to both old friends and the summer folk. Her 
hair is now silvered and her step is feeble. Sweetly, 



144 The Glacier's Gift 

patiently she simply waits the call to cross the bar to meet 
the husband of her youth and the three children who have 
preceded her into the great beyond. 

So there have been tragedies as well as comedies enacted 
on this seagirt isle, and because of the former a keen sense 
of sympathy is characteristic of the people. It is not a 
truism in this particular spot that to weep is to weep alone, 
for tears are ever as near the surface as laughter and often 
far more genuine. 

Not a great deal has been said since the beginning about 
the physical features of this land of "heart's desire." A 
whole chapter would not suffice to tell the story of its 
flora ; each season brings forth its own particular contribu- 
tion and even in midwinter the peculiar coloring of the 
moors presents a most interesting aspect. But oh, the time 
of roses ! — can anything equal it ? Along the road to Pol- 
pis the wild roses grow in such rich profusion that to be 
fully appreciated they must be seen, as no language can 
express the beauty of these flowers. The yellow broom, 
which comes out in all its gorgeousness in its season, the 
hibiscus and the red lily each in its season, are beautiful 
beyond compare. In early spring the trailing arbutus is 
found in great profusion; here, too, is found the bonny 
heather, and it is said in some very secluded places the 
Irish gorse is to be found, the only place outside of the 
Emerald Isle. If one thinks he knows the true beauty 
of a water lily and has not made the acquaintance of the 
pink lily of Nantucket, it would pay him to take the trip 
in order to be convinced of his error. The same may be 
said of the hydrangeas; the half cannot be told of their 
gorgeous coloring and hardy foliage. 

In closing it must be said for the benefit of those intend- 
ing to visit this much storied island, that to one who would 
get the most out of a stay, however short or protracted, 
first he must be perfectly "in tune with the Infinite," 



Here a Little and There a Little 145 

otherwise he will be like the young lady who had been 
taken out for a drive along the rutted roads across the 
moors. On her return her hostess asked her how she had 
enjoyed it. "Oh," she replied, "the drive was most enjoy- 
able, but where is your much talked of scenery?" If one 
is looking for the grandeur of mountain views or silvery 
sheen of tumbling cascades and waterfalls, he will certainly 
not find them here ; but if he can appreciate the grandeur 
of old ocean, if he can with an artist's eye enjoy the inde- 
scribable coloring of earth and sky and sea, he is then in a 
position to enjoy to the fullest extent a stay on this, the 
Glacier's Gift, and can say with Mrs. Browning, 

"Nothing is small. 
No lily muffled hum of summer bee 
But finds some coupling with the spinning stars; 

No pebble at your feet but proves a sphere. 

Earth's crammed with Heaven ; 
And every common bush afire with God; 

But only he who sees takes off his shoes." 



AUG 



4 1911 









One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



19(1 



